Intestinal endometriosis: a diagnostic challenge for the internist?

• Published in: Revista medica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social Vol. 59; no. 1; p. 81
• Main Authors: Olvera-Acevedo, Arturo, Cervantes-Bojalil, Javier, Márquez-Vargas, Mitzi Gabriela, Sánchez-Claudio, Mariela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Mexico 02-02-2021
• Subjects: Abdominal Pain - etiology; Adult; Diagnosis, Differential; Endometriosis - diagnosis; Female; Humans; Intestinal Obstruction - etiology; Intestinal Diseases; Endometriosis; Abdominal Pain
• ISSN: 2448-5667

Within the wide variety of clinical skills distinctive of the internist the diagnostic approach of abdominal pain is paramount in everyday clinical practice. It is well known that no physician can diagnose what they don’t know: classically considered as one of the ‘‘great simulators’’, intestinal endometriosis is a rare yet potentially fatal cause of abdominal pain if misdiagnosed, thus requiring a comprehensive medical evaluation.
We present the case of a 33-year-old woman evaluated for a bowel obstruction, in the first instance associated with a probable abdominal tumor, subsequently concluding the definitive diagnosis of intestinal endometriosis.
Although endometriosis is a frequent pathology, the location and clinical presentation presented in this case is not. However, the lack of information on this, like any other pathology, can delay the diagnosis or carry the risk of offering inappropriate treatments for an incorrect diagnosis. This is the importance of its knowledge and dissemination among first-contact doctors as well as clinical and surgical specialists.