Sample All women given surgical treatment for deep endometriosis.Methods Women who underwent surgery for deep endometriosis were reviewed for intra-and postoperative complications.Main outcome measures Primary outcomes were rates of intraand postoperative complications. Complications were compared according to the procedure performed.Results A total of 568 women were included in the study, with a mean age of 32.4 years. The mean estimated diameter of the nodule felt by vaginal examination was 1.8 cm (ranging from 0.5 to 7 cm). Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 560 women (98.6%), and conversion was required in 2.3%. The mean operative time was 155 minutes. Intraoperative complications occurred in 12 women (2.1%), including six minor (1.05%) and six major (1.05%) complications. Postoperative complications developed in 79 women (13.9%), including 54 minor (9.5%) and 26 major (4.6%) complications (one woman had both minor and major postoperative complications). The overall major postoperative complication rate for women who underwent any type of rectal surgery (shaving, excision and suture, or segmental resection) was 9.3% (21 out of 226), compared with only 1.5% for the other women (five out of 342) (P < 0.01). Shaving presented less major postoperative complications compared with segmental resection (24 versus 6.7%; P = 0.004).Conclusions Surgery for deep endometriosis is feasible, but it is associated with major complications, especially when any type of rectal surgery must be performed.

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The laparoscopic puncture of malignant ovarian tumours confined to the ovaries is uncommon, and should be avoided whenever possible. The teaching of endoscopy is essential to promote adequate procedures performed according to the principles of microsurgery and to preserve postoperative ovarian physiology.

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To evaluate long-term effects of arterial embolization (AE) for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) on menses recovery and subsequent pregnancies. One hundred thirteen consecutive patients, recruited from 1999 to 2006, who had undergone AE for severe PPH were evaluated in a retrospective monocentric study. As embolization agents, pledgets of absorbable gelatine sponge (Curaspon) were used in 106 cases, Curaspon powder in 3 cases, and inert microparticles in 4 cases. In 111/113 cases (98.1%), AE was successful in controlling PPH. In two cases (1.7%), the AE was unsuccessful and required a total abdominal postembolization hysterectomy. Concerning fertility, 6 patients were lost to follow-up and 107 were available. The average time to follow-up was 46.4+/-21.8 months. Of the 107 patients, 99 had recovery of menses (92.5%). Of the 107 (61%) patients, 66 reported regular menstruation with normal delay after the delivery. Thirty-three patients (31%) reported subjective changes in the frequency and amount of menses. Six patients (5.6%) had documented amenorrhea after AE and developed diffuse uterine synechiae at the hysteroscopic investigation. Out of 29 patients who desired and attempted conception, 18 patients (62%) reported a total of 19 pregnancies at the end of the follow-up. One miscarriage at 12 weeks of gestation was reported. The 18 pregnancies at term were uneventful until delivery, but 3 cases of further PPH (15%) occurred due to abnormal placentation requiring a further AE. All full-term newborns were healthy. AE is a feasible, safe, and reproducible technique to control PPH, allowing a very high resumption of menses and subsequent pregnancies; in these cases, considering the elevated incidence of further PPH due to abnormal placentation, an accurate ultrasonographic monitoring during pregnancy seems appropriate.