Urinary tract/bladder endometriosis

Endometriosis can affect urinary tract in a variety of ways with the bladder being the most commonly involved. Superficial seeds/deposits of endometriosis can be localised on the lining of utero vesical pouch (the area directly overlying the bladder and the uterus). Occasionally deeply infiltrating nodules can grow into the bladder and either partially or completely invade its wall. Endometriosis has a potential to involve the ureters (tubes that connect your kidneys with your bladder) when the nodules are localised on pelvic side wall. Deeply infiltrating nodules can grow around the ureter causing its narrowing. Any narrowing of the ureter interferes with urine flow. Urine gets collected above the constriction causing an obstruction which in turn can destroy the kidney function on that side. If the obstruction develops slowly (over the years) it may destroy the kidney without any clinical symptoms. It is than called ‘silent kidney loss’.

How does endometriosis of the bladder occur and can it affect the kidneys or the tubes from the kidneys to the bladder (the ureters)?

Although we do not accurately know how frequent endometriosis of the bladder occurs but is it relatively uncommon. Most endometriosis is on the outside of the bladder and can be relatively easily removed by excising (cutting out) the external lining of the bladder without making a hole in the bladder through key hole surgery. Rarely endometriosis is deeply infiltrating the bladder. This means that the endometriosis is not only on the outside of the bladder but passes through the whole thickness and can be seen on the inside of the bladder. This can be diagnosed by laparoscopy (key hole surgery through your belly button) and / or with a very small fibre optic camera that can look inside your bladder through the urethra (opening of the bladder to the outside).