ESPriT1: the effectiveness of laparoscopic treatment of isolated superficial peritoneal endometriosis for managing chronic pelvic pain in women: a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition that affects >190 million people worldwide. It is recommended in clinical guidelines to remove the most common type of endometriosis, 'superficial peritoneal endometriosis' (SPE), if it is diagnosed at laparoscopy (keyhole surgery). However, the evidence to support removal of SPE is based on small studies with short-term follow-up. The aim of this small feasibility trial was to determine what proportion of women with pelvic pain undergoing laparoscopy for suspected endometriosis would be willing to be randomly allocated to have surgical removal of SPE or not have it treated surgically straightaway (sham surgery). Of the eligible patients that were approached, 31% consented to take part, demonstrating that people with endometriosis are willing to take part in a sham surgical trial. We are now leading a similar, but much larger UK-wide trial, to determine whether removal of SPE truly improves painful endometriosis symptoms.