Hughes M L, Bartholomew D, Paluzzi M
Department of Surgery, Keesler Medical Center, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi 39534-2519, USA.
J Reprod Med. 1997 Sep;42(9):597-9.
Amniocentesis is a procedure performed commonly in the evaluation and early diagnosis of fetal chromosomal abnormalities. The procedure is safe, with a major complication rate of 0.5% and the most common minor complication, spotting.
A 27-year-old woman underwent amniocenteses to document pulmonary maturity prior to cesarean section. She presented 18 months later with a 6-month history of left abdominal wall pain and a mass that enlarged 2 days prior to menses and shrank 1 week after. The mass was located at the prior amniocentesis site. Excisional biopsy revealed endometriosis on final pathology.
To our knowledge, this is the first well-documented case of abdominal wall endometriosis following third-trimester amniocentesis. The procedure should be considered a possible complication of amniocentesis.
