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Human Reproduction, Vol. 6, No. 7, pp. 963-968, 1991
© 1991 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

review-article

REVIEW

The history of endometriosis: identifying the disease

G. Benagiano1,3 and I. Brosens2

1First Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University ‘La Sapienza’ Roma, Italy 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Catholic University of Leuven Leuven, Belgium

Correspondence: 3To whom correspondence should be addressed

The history of endometriosis is reviewed in the light of today's clinical and pathological knowledge of this disease. Prior to Sampson's report in 1921, attention was focused on the enclosed type of endometriosis, sited deep in the pelvis and called adenomyosis externa. Sampson's first hypothesis, that rupture of an ovarian endometrioma caused superficial peritoneal endometriosis, was probably changed after this observation that the free, superficial peritoneal implants reacted like eutopic endometrium. These implants were recognized as implants from menstrual blood regurgitated into the pelvic cavity. Adenomyosis externa, ovarian endometrioma and peritoneal endometriosis then came to be regarded as the same disease. In the light of today's knowledge, it may be important to remember this progressive understanding in the nosology of what is now universally called pelvic endometriosis.

Key words: adenomyoma/endometriosis/ovarian endometriosis


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I. Brosens
Endometriosis rediscovered?
Hum. Reprod., July 1, 2004; 19(7): 1679 - 1680.
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