Cystic endometriosis of the upper abdominal organs. Report on three cases and review of the literature.

A 34-year-old woman with signs and symptoms of an acute abdomen was found to have a hepatic cyst on NMR- and CT-scan. With the tentative diagnosis of a liver hematoma, a right hemihepatectomy was performed. Histologically, an endometrial cyst of the liver was found. A second case of cystic endometriosis in the liver was revealed ultrasonographically in a 62-year-old woman, complaining of rightsided epigastrical pain. A 28-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of recurrent epigastric pain. A cystic tumor of the pancreas could be visualized ultrasonographically and was interpreted as a postinflammatory pseudocyst. Histological examination of the distal pancreatectomy specimen revealed cystic endometriosis. The clinicopathological features of hepatic and pancreatic endometriosis are discussed and the literature concerning these extremely rare lesions is reviewed.