Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
MS in Physician Assistant Studies (PA)
Department
Physician Assistant Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Alicia Quella
Abstract
Objective: To determine the ability and efficacy of non-invasive serum biomarker testing as a replacement for laparoscopic surgery in the diagnosis and staging of endometriosis to decrease the incidence of negative disease outcomes, leading to improvement in the accuracy of diagnoses and patient tailored treatment protocols.
Background: Endometriosis is a debilitating inflammatory disease of the reproductive tract. Currently, the gold standard for the diagnosis and staging of endometriosis is exploratory laparoscopic surgery. The use of surgery as the source of achieving a definitive diagnosis holds the potential to increase the incidence of negative disease outcomes. Because of this, the use of peripheral serum biomarkers for the initial diagnosis of endometriosis is being explored as a non- invasive diagnostic option to decrease the incidence of negative disease outcomes.
Methods: Articles used were retrieved from PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Science Direct and UpToDate. Additionally, two individuals who had been surgically diagnosed with endometriosis were interviewed via email.
Conclusion: The potential of serum biomarkers as an alternative to laparoscopy to diagnose and stage endometriosis in order to decrease the incidence of negative disease outcomes cannot be ignored. When weighed against the potential risks of surgery, as well as the high incidence of disease recurrence after conservative ablative procedures, peripheral serum biomarkers should be considered the forefront of endometriosis research in order to improve patient outcomes. To achieve this, the scientific community must work in close collaboration with each other, as well as become proficient in the clinical findings of endometriosis in order to achieve adequate and tailored patient centered care.
Identifier
SC11.PAS.2018.Hexum.EC
Recommended Citation
Hexum, Ellyn C., "Among Patients with Endometriosis, Does the Use of Serum Biomarkers, Versus Laparoscopic Surgery For Diagnosis and Staging of the Disease Decrease the Incidence of Disease Related Negative Outcomes" (2018). Theses and Graduate Projects. 321.
https://idun.augsburg.edu/etd/321