Last updated: 02/17/2009

The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus; it is where a fertilized egg will implant during the early days of pregnancy. The endometrium normally sheds during each menstrual cycle if the egg released during ovulation has not been fertilized....

Endometriosis is a condition that occurs when cells from the endometrium begin growing outside the uterus. The outlying endometrial cells respond to the hormones that control the menstrual cycle, bleeding each month the way the lining of the uterus does. This causes irritation of the surrounding tissue, leading to pain and scarring.

Endometrial growths are most commonly found on the pelvic organs, including the ovaries (the most common site), fallopian tubes, bladder, rectum, cervix, vagina, and the outer surface of the uterus. Growths are also sometimes found in other areas of the body, including the skin, lungs, brain, or surgical scars. There are numerous theories as to the cause of endometriosis; these include retrograde menstruation (movement of menstrual blood up through the fallopian tubes), movement of endometrial tissue through the blood or lymph system, or surgical transplantation (when endometriosis is found in surgical scars).

There are a number of reasons why laparoscopy is used to treat endometriosis. It is useful as both a diagnostic tool (to visualize structures in the abdominal cavity and examine them for endometrial growths) and as an operative tool (to excise or destroy endometrial growths). A patient's recovery time following laparoscopic surgery is shorter and less painful than following a traditional laparotomy (a larger surgical incision into the abdominal cavity). A disadvantage to laparoscopy is that some growths may be too large or extensive to remove with laparoscopic instruments, necessitating a laparotomy.