Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis in Adolescence: Early Diagnosis and Possible Prevention of Disease Progression

Francesco Giuseppe Martire, Matteo Giorgi, Claudia d'Abate, Irene Colombi, Alessandro Ginetti, Alberto Cannoni, Francesco Fedele, C. Exacoustós, Gabriele Centini, Errico Zupi, Lucia Lazzeri
Journal of clinical medicine · 2024 · vol. 13(2) , pp. 550 · doi:10.3390/jcm13020550 · PMID:38256683 · W4390984844
article OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 22 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review discusses the prevalence, pathogenesis, and management of deep infiltrating endometriosis in adolescents, highlighting the challenges in early diagnosis and potential for disease progression.

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Abstract

Endometriosis has a prevalence of 10% worldwide in premenopausal women. Probably, endometriosis begins early in the life of young girls, and it is commonly diagnosed later in life. The prevalence of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) in adolescence is currently unknown due to diagnostic limits and underestimation of clinical symptoms. Dysmenorrhea is a common symptom in adolescents affected by DIE, often accompanied by dyspareunia and chronic acyclic pelvic pain. Ultrasonography-either performed transabdominal, transvaginal or transrectal-should be considered the first-line imaging technique despite the potential for missed diagnosis due to early-stage disease. Magnetic resonance imaging should be preferred in the case of virgo patients or when ultrasonographic exam is not accepted. Diagnostic laparoscopy is deemed acceptable in the case of suspected DIE not responding to conventional hormonal therapy. An early medical and/or surgical treatment may reduce disease progression with an immediate improvement in quality of life and fertility, but at the same time, painful symptoms may persist or even recur due to the surgery itself. The aim of this narrative review is to report the prevalence of DIE in adolescents, describe the pathogenetic theories and discuss the management in adolescent women, including the challenging road to diagnosis and the treatment alternatives.

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Condition tags

endometriosisdie_deep_infiltratingdysmenorrheadyspareunia

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Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

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