Journal of pediatric surgery
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Between July, 1974 and February, 1979, 109 adolescent girls, ranging in age from 10 1/2 to 19 yr. with unexplained chronic pelvic pain, underwent diagnostic laparoscopy. Endometriosis was the most common finding occurring in 49 patients (45%), followed by postoperative adhesions in 17 patients (16%) and congenital abnormalities of the uterus in 10 patients (9%). ⋯ Analysis of the presenting symptoms and physical findings revealed in most instances that the presence of significant pelvic pathology as a cause of the chronic pelvic pain was predictable and had been previously misdiagnosed. Intraoperative and postoperative management of the major problems encountered stress the importance of conservative surgery and the need for long-term follow-up.