Chronic pelvic pain: empiric therapy suitable. (Instead of Laparoscopy).

NEW ORLEANS -- Gynecologic sources--most often endometriosis--accounted for the vast majority of chronic pelvic pain cases in a recent case series.

Thus empiric therapy for chronic pelvic pain, rather than diagnostic laparoscopy with excision, may be an appropriate approach, Dr. James E. Carter said at an international congress sponsored by the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons.

Of 500 consecutive chronic pelvic pain patients in a general gynecology practice, 70% were found to have gynecologic sources of the pain; 15% had myofascial or musculoskeletal diagnoses, pelvic floor pain syndrome, and/or hernias; 10% had gastrointestinal sources of pain; and 5% had genitourinary sources, said Dr. Carter of the University of ...