Laparotomy versus laparoscopy in the surgical treatment of endometriosis: The end of an era?

The authors compare the efficiency of laparoscopic treatment with laparotomic surgical management of endometriosis. When the disease causes mechanical distortions and adnexal adhesions, there is an obvious explanation for infertility; in these cases laparotomic surgery has so far proved the only treatment to produce significantly valid results. No findings have yet been reported to demonstrate that cytoreduction, either pharmacological, laparoscopic or laparotomic, offers concrete advantages compared with simple observation when the disease is in the early stage.