Photodynamic diagnosis of endometriosis using 5-aminolevulinic acid - A pilot study.

Purpose: Is it possible to visualize atypical endometriotic changes? Material and Methods: 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was administered between 4-12 h preoperatively in different dosage and concentration. The D-Light-System (Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) was used to induce fluorescence. Results: The present pilot study permits a first interpretation of the photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) of endometriotic implants after topical and oral application of ALA: topical, transuterine application of ALA is obviously connected with serious phototoxic side effects that cannot be tolerated. The typical darkish endometriotic implants, in the literature, often described as non-active lesions showed no fluorescence. On the other hand, the PDD of atypical peritoneal implants is possible, even though selective accumulation in the tubes could not be excluded due to the topical and oral application of ALA. Conclusions: PDD of endometriosis using ALA could improve the diagnosis of endometriosis.