Sonographic Differential Diagnosis in Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis: The Bowel

Table 4

Characteristics of all cases of Figure 4 at a glance.

Organ	Sonographic diagnosis			Differential diagnosis
	Case number	US suspect	Appearance	US suspect	Differences
Colonic lesions	#18	Rectal polyp (confirmed diagnosis by endorectal ultrasound and colonoscopy)	A solid mass growing within the bowel lumen was seen with an intact serosa	Bowel endometriosis (see cases #1 to #8 of Figure 1); Rectal cancer (see cases #19 and #20 of Figure 4)	(i) Rectal bleeding; (ii) Recta polyps and cancer grow from inside outwards while endometriosis starts from the serosa and encroaches the bowel
	#19 and #20	Rectal cancer (confirmed diagnosis)	A solid and irregular mass within the bowel lumen was seen; the serosa was intact	Bowel endometriosis (see cases #6 to #11 of Figures 1 and 2)	(i) Age; (ii) Family history; (iii) Endometriosis grows from the serosa; (iv) Endometriosis, like cancer, can be multifocal