OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of CO₂ laser moxibustion on endometriosis related pelvic pain of cold coagulation and blood stasis. METHODS: A total of 76 patients with endometriosis related pelvic pain of cold coagulation and blood stasis were randomized into a laser moxibustion group and a sham laser moxibustion group, 38 cases in each group. In the laser moxibustion group, moxibustion was applied at bilateral Zigong (EX-CA 1) using CO₂ laser moxibustion instrument. In the sham laser moxibustion group, the manipulation of moxibustion was same as the laser moxibustion group, without laser output. The treatment was given once every other day, 30 min each time, 3 times a week for 4 weeks in both groups. Before and after treatment and follow-up of 3 months after treatment, the scores of Gracely box scale (GBS) and visual analogue scale (VAS) were observed, the usage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for the duration of the treatment and the average days of taking drugs were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the GBS and VAS scores were decreased after treatment and during follow-up in the laser moxibustion group (P<0.05), while those in the sham moxibustion group had no significant differences (P>0.05). Compared with the sham moxibustion group, the GBS and VAS scores were decreased after treatment and during follow-up (P<0.05), the cases and average days of taking drugs were less in the laser moxibustion group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION CO₂ laser moxibustion can improve the pain symptom in patients with endometriosis related pelvic pain of cold coagulation and blood stasis, and reduce the use of analgesic drugs.
Acupuncture Points ; Carbon Dioxide ; Endometriosis/complications* ; Female ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Pelvic Pain/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the complication and recurrence rates in patients undergoing trocar-guided mesh implant for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) treatment. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed based on the medical records of patients who had undergone mesh implant by one surgeon from May 2006 to August 2013 at the Presbyterian Medical Center in Korea. We evaluated perioperative complications such as bladder injury, mesh exposure, urinary symptoms, infections, and chronic pelvic pain. Recurrence was defined as a POP-quantification system stage ≥II or any symptomatic prolapse. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients were evaluated, and the mean age of patients was 65.4±7.2 years. Stage ≥III POP-quantification Ba was noted in 61 patients (91%). Intraoperative complications included three cases of bladder injury (4.5%). The mean follow-up period was 44.1±7.9 months. Postoperative complications occurred in seven women (10.5%): four cases of urinary symptoms (6%), two cases of infections (3%), and one case of chronic pelvic pain (1.5%). Mesh exposure did not occur (0%). Prolapse recurrence was reported in five patients (7.5%). CONCLUSION: Based on our operational result, the trocar-guided mesh implant seems to provide safe and effective outcomes.
Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intraoperative Complications ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Pelvic Organ Prolapse* ; Pelvic Pain ; Postoperative Complications ; Prolapse ; Protestantism ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Surgical Mesh ; Urinary Bladder

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease usually occurring in young women of child-bearing age. It is characterized by a distinctive proliferation of lymphatic smooth muscle cells, especially occurring in the pulmonary parenchyme. The majority of primary LAM occurs in the lung, but there are a few reports of extrapulmonary cases. We report a case of a 21-yr-old female who first complained of low abdominal pain and was referred from a local clinic with the impression of an ovarian cyst. Gynecologic ultrasonography revealed a large posterior pelvic mass with an irregular echogenicity measuring 9.7x4.2 cm in size. Pelviscopy showed a large, thin walled, partly cystic, pelvic mass. The mass was partly removed. Microscopically, the mass was characterized by a haphazard proliferation of smooth muscle cells arranged in fascicular, trabecular, and papillary patterns around a ramifying network of endothelium-lined spaces. The cells were plump or epithelioid with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and showed a positive reaction for both alpha-smooth muscle actin and HMB-45 antigen. Surgical and pathological findings were consistent with pelvic retroperitoneal LAM. Despite the numerous treatment attempts, the patient suffered from intractable chylous ascites and developed pulmonary LAM and died due to severe respiratory distress.
Abdominal Pain/diagnosis/etiology ; Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis ; Lymphangioleiomyomatosis/complications/*diagnosis ; Pelvic Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis ; Rare Diseases/complications/diagnosis

PURPOSE: Tailgut cysts are rare congenital or developmental lesions that arise from vestiges of the embryological hindgut. They are usually present in the presacral space. We report our single-center experience with managing tailgut cysts. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 24 patients with tailgut cyst treated surgically at the Colorectal Surgery Department of Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea, between 2007–2018. RESULTS: This study included 24 patients (18 females) with a median age of 51.5 years (range, 21–68 years). Ten cases were symptomatic and 14 were asymptomatic. Cysts were retrorectal in 21 patients. Cysts were below the coccyx level in 16 patients, opposite the coccyx in 6, and above the coccyx in 2. Cysts were supralevator in 5 patients, had a supra- and infralevator extension in 18 patients, and were infralevator in 1. Ten patients were managed using an anterior laparoscopic approach, 11 using a posterior approach, and 3 using a combined approach. Mean cyst size was 5.5 ± 2.7 cm. Postoperative complications were Clavien-Dindo (CD) classification grade II in 9 patients (37.5%) and CD grade III in 1 (4.2%). The posterior approach group showed the highest rate of complications (P = 0.021). Patients managed using a combined approach showed a larger cyst size (P < 0.001), longer operation times (P < 0.001), and a greater likelihood of tumor level above the coccyx (P = 0.002) compared to other approaches. The tumors of 2 male patients were malignant: 1 was a neuroendocrine tumor treated with radiotherapy, while the other was a closely followed adenocarcinoma. Median follow-up was 12 months (range, 1–66 months) with no recurrence. CONCLUSION: Tailgut cysts are uncommon but can cause perineal or pelvic pain. Complete surgical excision via an appropriate approach according to tumor size, location, and correlation with adjacent pelvic floor muscles is the key treatment.
Adenocarcinoma ; Classification ; Coccyx ; Colorectal Surgery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Muscles ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Pelvic Floor ; Pelvic Pain ; Postoperative Complications ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

Endometriosis (EMs) is a common gynecologic disease that affects women's physical and mental health seriously. The pathogenesis is still unknown and the mechanism of endometriosis-associated pain remains unclear. Mast cells (MC) are known to be multifunctional players in the immune system. Recent studies have shown that nerve fibers in EMs lesions can release neural peptides such as nerve growth factor and substance P to induce MC degranulating and releasing histamine, proteases, cytokines, chemokines etc., which contributes to the development of pain and hyperalgesia in patients with endometriosis.
Endometriosis ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Mast Cells ; metabolism ; Nerve Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Pelvic Pain ; etiology ; pathology

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on erectile function in Chinese patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). A retrospective study was conducted on 657 CP/CPPS patients who visited The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Changsha, China) from November 2018 to November 2022. Patients were divided into two groups based on the timeline before and after the COVID-19 outbreak in China. The severity of CP/CPPS, penile erection status, anxiety, and depression was evaluated using the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scales, respectively. Compared with patients before the COVID-19 outbreak, more CP/CPPS patients developed severe erectile dysfunction (ED) due to depression and anxiety caused by the pandemic. After developing moderate-to-severe ED, mild and moderate-to-severe CP/CPPS patients exhibited more apparent symptoms of anxiety and depression ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively), forming a vicious cycle. The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the psychological status of CP/CPPS patients, exacerbating their clinical symptoms and complicating ED. The exacerbation of clinical symptoms further worsens the anxiety and depression status of patients, forming a vicious cycle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, paying more attention to the mental health of CP/CPPS patients, strengthening psychological interventions, and achieving better treatment outcomes are necessary.
Male ; Humans ; Erectile Dysfunction/etiology* ; Pandemics ; Penile Erection ; Prostatitis/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; East Asian People ; COVID-19/complications* ; Chronic Disease ; Pelvic Pain/complications*

Objectives: We performed this study to review the clinical availability of the classical intrafascial SEMM hysterectomy (CISH), and report our experience for 2 years restrospectively. METHODS: From March 1999 to February 2001, 100 cases of CISH were performed at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym university. We performed this procedure by 3 steps. The dissection of uterus was done by classical suture methods (including extracorporeal and intracorporeal suture techniques) to uterine isthmic portion. And then transvaginal cylindrical coring out of the cervical tissue was done using a cervix corer, the Calibrated Uterine Resection Tools (CURT) for resection of cervical tissue especially transformation zone. Finally, the dissected uterus was extracted by using a Serrated Edged Macro-Morcellator (SEMM) without colpotomy. We reviewed the patient's data retrospectively and made phone calls to each patients. RESULTS: The indications for CISH, based on the pre-and intraoperative diagnosis, were leiomyoma, adenomyosis, endometrial hyperplasia and chronic pelvic inflammatory disease or pelvic pain, in order of frequency. The mean operative time was 126 minutes and the mean hemoglobin change was 1.27 gm/dL. The mean hospital days were 5.7 days and the mean age of the patients was 44.6 years old. There were no definite intra- and postoperative complications except for 3 cases of CO2 retentions and 2 cases of delayed bleeding on cervical stump. The mean days to first sexual contact after surgery were 34.5 days. In view of sexual feeling, 86% of the patients didn't feel any difference and only 13% felt worse than before. During postoperative follow-up, the cervical cytologic study were found no endocervical cells at all of 44 checked patients. CONCLUSION: The CISH procedures can be safely performed by well-trained laparoscopists, and this technique minimally alters the anatomy and integrity of the pelvic floor and vagina. Therefore the reductions of surgical morbidity, blood loss, hospitalization and postoperatve discomfort were obtained. Through the preservation of the anatomical relations of the pelvic floor and the function of female sexuality, this technique is the new proposal in gynecologic surgery.
Adenomyosis ; Cervix Uteri ; Colpotomy ; Diagnosis ; Endometrial Hyperplasia ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Gynecology ; Heart ; Hemorrhage ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Leiomyoma ; Obstetrics ; Operative Time ; Pelvic Floor ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Pelvic Pain ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Sexuality ; Sutures ; Uterus ; Vagina

Lumbar disc herniation is a common male disease. In the past, More academic attention was directed to its relationship with lumbago and leg pain than to its association with andrological diseases. Studies show that central lumber intervertebral disc herniation may cause cauda equina injury and result in premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, priapism, and emission. This article presents an overview on the correlation between central lumbar intervertebral disc herniation and andrological diseases, focusing on the aspects of etiology, pathology, and clinical progress, hoping to invite more attention from andrological and osteological clinicians.
Chronic Pain ; etiology ; Erectile Dysfunction ; etiology ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; complications ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Pelvic Pain ; etiology ; Polyradiculopathy ; etiology ; Premature Ejaculation ; etiology ; Priapism ; etiology

PURPOSE: Extensive local growth of rectal carcinoma and sigmoid colon carcinoma without evidence of extrapelvic dissemination occurs infrequently but does represent a small number of potentially curable neoplasms. Such lesions may present with bulk-related problems such as pelvic pain and lower colonic obstruction or with rectum, the vagina, or the bladder. Even in the absence of distant spread, many of these patients will have unresectable disease and will undergo an incomplete resection or proximal colostomy for pallliation. In selected patients, some of the locally advanced rectal cancer may be curable if total pelvic exenteration is performed. METHODS: This report describe a group of patients with locally advanced sigmoid or rectal carcinoma confined to the pelvis who underwent total pelvic exenteration at the Chonnam University Hospital. RESULTS: Seven patients had received total pelvic exenteration within five years and they were all men. One patient among them had recurred rectal cancer after previous abdominoperineal resection. Four rectal cancer and three sigmoid colon cancer were included and the range of age was third to eighth decade. According to modified Dukes' stage, stage B3 were five, and C2 were two. Postoperative complications were presented in three patients. They were wound infection, mechanical ileus, and anastomotic leakage. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative death was presented in one patient due to sepsis with mechanical ileus. Long term follow up of these patients which was arranged from two to fourty-seven months showed five patients alive and one patient died.
Anastomotic Leak ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid* ; Colostomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ileus ; Jeollanam-do ; Male ; Pelvic Exenteration* ; Pelvic Pain ; Pelvis ; Postoperative Complications ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Rectum* ; Sepsis ; Sigmoid Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder ; Vagina ; Wound Infection

OBJECTIVETo study the characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis in adolescent patients.

METHODSix cases of adolescent endometriosis in our hospital were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTEndometriosis is the most common cause of chronic pelvic pain in adolescents. There may be a natural progression of endometriosis from atypical lesions in adolescents to classic lesions in adults. Congenital abnormalities of the reproductive tract are the main reasons for the adolescent endometriosis.

CONCLUSIONEndometriosis should be strongly suspected in adolescent girls with chronic pelvic pain, especially unresponsive to oral contraceptives and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The treatment involves the operations and medicines.

Adolescent ; Child ; Danazol ; therapeutic use ; Endometriosis ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Estrogen Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Laparoscopy ; Pelvic Pain ; etiology ; Retrospective Studies