The conservative management of ovarian endometrioma using cyst aspiration followed by dienogest medication: a pilot study

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonography-guided cyst aspiration followed by dienogest medication in the management of endometriomas in selected patients.Methods: This study included 38 female patients diagnosed with endometrioma via transvaginal ultrasonography or pelvic magnetic resonance imaging. We performed needle aspiration of the contents of endometrioma followed by the administration of dienogest (2 mg) daily orally, and assessed changes in endometrioma size, cancer antigen 125, anti-Müllerian hormone, and a visual analog scale score for dysmenorrhea before and 3 months after the procedure.Results: The diameter of the ovarian cysts decreased from a maximum of 4.35 cm before the procedure to 2.37 cm on follow-up ultrasonography, and seven of 56 endometriomas in 38 patients resolved completely as evaluated on transvaginal ultrasonography. Malignant cells were not found in any of the cases upon a cytologic examination of endometriotic cyst fluid. The mean cancer antigen 125 level decreased from 86.69 U/mL before the procedure to approximately 37.28 U/mL. There was no statistically significant difference in anti-Müllerian hormone before and after the procedure. The visual analog scale score decreased from 3.58 to 0.97 after aspiration.Conclusions: Ultrasonography-guided cyst aspiration followed by dienogest administration allows cytological confirmation through relatively low-burden procedures and may increase patient compliance due to the reduction in ovarian cyst size.