Endometriosis impairs the quality of life (QoL) of many women, including their social relationships, daily activity, productivity at work, and family planning. The aim of this review was to determine the instruments used to examine QoL in previous clinical studies of endometriosis and to evaluate the effect of medical and surgical interventions for endometriosis on QoL. We conducted a systematic search and review of studies published between January 2010 and December 2020 using MEDLINE. Search terms included “endometriosis” and “quality of life.” We only selected studies that used a standardized questionnaire to evaluate QoL before and after medical or surgical interventions. Only articles in the English language were examined. The initial search identified 720 results. After excluding duplicates and applying inclusion criteria, 37 studies were selected for analysis. We found that the two scales most frequently used to measure QoL were the Short Form-36 health survey questionnaire (SF-36) and the Endometriosis Health Profile-30 (EHP-30). Many medical and surgical treatments demonstrated comparable benefits in pain control and QoL improvement. There is no clear answer as to what is the best treatment for improving QoL because each therapy must be personalized for the patient and depends on the woman’s goals. In conclusion, women must be informed about endometriosis and given easily accessible information to improve treatment adherence and their QoL.
Background
To date hysteroscopy is the gold standard technique for the evaluation and management of intrauterine pathologies. The cervical canal represents the access route to the uterine cavity. The presence of cervical stenosis often makes entry into the uterine cavity difficult and occasionally impossible. Cervical stenosis has a multifactorial etiology. It is the result of adhesion processes that can lead to the narrowing or total obliteration of the cervical canal.
Purpose
In this review, we summarize the scientific evidence about cervical stenosis, aiming to identify the best strategy to overcome this challenging condition.
Methods
The literature review followed the scale for the quality assessment of narrative review articles (SANRA). All articles describing the hysteroscopic management of cervical stenosis were considered eligible. Only original papers that reported data on the topic were included.
Results
Various strategies have been proposed to address cervical stenosis, including surgical and non-surgical methods. Medical treatments such as the preprocedural use of cervical-ripening agents or osmotic dilators have been explored. Surgical options include the use of cervical dilators and hysteroscopic treatments.
Conclusions
Cervical stenosis can present challenges in achieving successful intrauterine procedures. Operative hysteroscopy has been shown to have the highest success rate, particularly in cases of severe cervical stenosis, and is currently considered the gold standard for managing this condition. Despite the availability of miniaturized instruments that have made the management of cervical stenosis more feasible, it remains a complex task, even for experienced hysteroscopists.
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