The ovarian endometrioma: why is it so poorly managed? Indicators from an anonymous survey.

As a tertiary referral centre for women with severe endometriosis we see a large number of patients who have endometriotic cysts, and many of these patients have been operated on by gynaecologists elsewhere in the UK. We have been surprised by the variety of approaches to their management. In order to establish the current clinical practices of endometrioma management amongst gynaecologists in the UK, we have carried out an anonymous survey. There appears to be an equal preference for open versus endoscopic surgery, even though there is considerable evidence suggesting that endoscopic surgery is superior. However, the management of endometriomas varies significantly between the two groups. In this article, we have presented the results of our survey and used them as the basis for a debate on the management of endometriomas.