The following is a summary of “Surgery versus non-surgical treatment for endometriosis-related pain during the COVID-19 pandemic,” published in the December 2024 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Hui et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare non-surgical and surgical treatments for endometriosis-related pain, assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care quality and QoL of the patient.  

They organized an online questionnaire between June and August 2023, inviting patients from a single center to participate. Eligibility included those who underwent surgery between 2018 and 2019 or received non-surgical management between 2020 and 2022. The questionnaire evaluated the impact of endometriosis care and QoL during pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods using the endometriosis impact questionnaire (EIQ). Treatment effectiveness was assessed through the numerical rating scale (NRS). 

The results showed that among 60 respondents, 56.7% experienced a canceled, postponed, or rescheduled clinic appointment, 33.3% faced disruptions to endometriosis surgery, and 8.3% were impacted regarding fertility treatment. No significant differences were observed in EIQ scores during or after the pandemic compared to before and during the pandemic across all domains. Both surgical and non-surgical treatments led to a significant decrease in NRS scores by 3 points (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 treatment approaches (P = 0.901). 

Investigators concluded the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted care, the QoL of patients with endometriosis remained stable, and both surgical and non-surgical treatments were effective for pain management. 

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949838424000264