AB201. SOH26AB_0121. General and colorectal consultant surgeons’ and trainees’ understanding of the management of endometriosis
General Surgery Posters I

AB201. SOH26AB_0121. General and colorectal consultant surgeons’ and trainees’ understanding of the management of endometriosis

Siobhan Clifford1, Niamh Dundon1, Alison DeMaio2, Aoife O’Neill2, Cillian Clancy1

1Department of General and Colorectal Surgery, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 2Department of Gynaecology, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Background: Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) can extend into the rectum or colon, often leading to significant pain, digestive disturbances, and a decline in overall quality of life. Although hormonal therapies can be beneficial, surgery, including colorectal resection, may sometimes be necessary. This study seeks to assess the existing knowledge and clinical experience related to DIE among general and colorectal surgeons of all grades in Ireland.

Methods: An anonymous web-based survey was distributed among Irish general surgery trainees and colorectal consultants. Questions regarding undergraduate, post-graduate, and fellowship training were posed along with levels of clinical experience.

Results: There were 80 responses from 290 surveyed [24% consultants/76% non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs)]. Of all respondents, 71% received undergraduate training in endometriosis, with 28% receiving postgraduate or fellowship training. Bowel endometriosis in clinical practice was encountered by 94%. Where surgical management of bowel endometriosis was performed, the majority (71%) was managed with combined gynaecological and colorectal input. Consultant experience was at least 6–20 cases in 63% of respondents. The majority agree that subspecialisation for colorectal endometriosis is appropriate, and 71% agree with centralisation of services. Most respondents (73%) would be interested in further targeted formal training in the form of seminars/conferences/hands-on training courses.

Conclusions: Endometriosis involving the rectum is encountered by most trainees and consultants at a low volume level in clinical practice. There is a majority response that subspecialisation and centralisation of rectal endometriosis would be appropriate. This study indicates substantial trainee interest in expanding formal educational opportunities in the surgical management of endometriosis.

Keywords: Colorectal surgery; deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE); endometriosis; gynaecology; survey

Acknowledgments

None.

Footnote

Funding: None.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/map-26-ab201
Cite this abstract as: Clifford S, Dundon N, DeMaio A, O’Neill A, Clancy C. AB201. SOH26AB_0121. General and colorectal consultant surgeons’ and trainees’ understanding of the management of endometriosis. Mesentery Peritoneum 2026;10:AB201.

Article Options

Download Citation

Share