Presurgical diagnosis of posterior deep infiltrating endometriosis based on a standardized questionnaire

BACKGROUND: To derive a diagnostic model based on symptoms and history as assessed by a standardized questionnaire to predict posterior deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) among women with chronic pelvic pain symptoms. METHODS: 134 women scheduled for laparoscopy for chronic pelvic pain symptoms completed a standardized self-administered questionnaire, specifically designed for the study. We compared the symptoms of the women with posterior DIE diagnosed at laparoscopy with those of the women with other disorders, and used multiple logistic regression analysis to select the best combination of symptoms for predicting posterior DIE. Cross-validation was performed with the jackknife method. RESULTS: 51 women (38.1%) were diagnosed with posterior DIE and 83 with other disorders (61.9%). The following variables were independent predictors for posterior DIE: painful defecation during menses, severe dyspareunia (visual analogic scale > or =8), pain other than noncyclic, and previous surgery for endometriosis. The cross-validation procedure leads to a simplified diagnostic model that uses two independent predictors: painful defecation during menses and severe dyspareunia. The sensitivity of this model for diagnosing posterior DIE was 74.5%, its specificity was 68.7%, its positive likelihood ratio was 2.4, and its negative likelihood ratio was 0.4. It correctly classified 70.9% of our sample into a high-risk (with either severe dyspareunia or painful defecation during menses) and a low-risk (neither symptom) group. CONCLUSIONS: Standardized evaluation of painful symptoms is useful for screening women so that they may have adequate exploration and counselling before laparoscopic surgery for pelvic pain symptoms.