Abstract
Abstract
Background
Rectal endometriosis is a rare disease. A definitive diagnosis prior to surgery is often difficult. We encountered a patient with rectal sub-obstructive endometriosis that was treated by robot-assisted laparoscopic low anterior resection.
Case presentation
A 43-year-old woman visited our hospital with suspected stenosis caused by upper rectal cancer. She had a 2-year history of constipation. We were unable to confirm the diagnosis through detailed examinations, including laparoscopy. Robot-assisted laparoscopic low anterior resection with D3 lymph node dissection was performed for both diagnosis and treatment. The postoperative specimen showed a submucosal tumor. The pathological examination confirmed rectal endometriosis.
Conclusions
We herein describe a rare case of obstructive rectal endometriosis that we were unable to diagnose preoperatively. Robotic surgery was useful in this case, which involved extensive pelvic adhesion.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC