Efficacy of Ethanol Sclerotherapy Versus Laparoscopic Excision in the Treatment of Ovarian Endometrioma.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the recurrence rates of ovarian endometrioma, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and related complications between sclerotherapy and laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy in individuals aged 25 to 38.

METHODS: Eighty-eight women participated in this retrospective, single-center study between January 2020 and February 2022. Patients received either laparoscopy or sclerotherapy, depending on the opinion of the pertinent physician. In this study, the following parameters were retrospectively analyzed in follow-up visits 2, 6 and 12 months after sclerotherapy and laparoscopy: dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia by visual analog scale, complications following the intervention, and serial pelvic sonograms for endometrioma cyst recurrence. Moreover, serum Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level before and 6 months after sclerotherapy/surgery were analyzed. The collected data were then analyzed using R software.

RESULTS: The results demonstrate the efficiency of both sclerotherapy and laparoscopic techniques in reducing endometrioma-related dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia over a 12-month period. There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of complications and recurrence rate between these two therapies, and both are equally beneficial. Also, the rate of AMH decline after laparoscopy was higher than sclerotherapy; however there was not a statistically significant change in serum level of AMH in laparoscopy compared to the sclerotherapy after 6 months.

CONCLUSION: Considering all the data, it appears that sclerotherapy, with its lower cost, shorter hospital stay, and quicker return to activities, can be a laparoscopic alternative to endometrioma cyst removal. More studies are required.