Objective: To compare the efficacy of danazol and triptorelin (Decapeptyl CR, Ferring, Kiel, Germany) in the management of moderate and severe endometriosis in terms of symptom control and revised American Fertility Society (AFS) score reduction, and to evaluate the hormonal profile of patients treated with triptorelin every 6 weeks.
Design: Open and randomized trial.
Setting: Kwong Wah Hospital, a large public hospital in an urban location (Hong Kong).
Patient(s): Forty patients after their first conservative operation for endometriosis, with surgical confirmation of revised AFS stage III or IV endometriosis.
Intervention(s): Postoperative 6 months' therapy of danazol or triptorelin every 6 weeks, postmedical therapy second-look laparoscopy.
Main outcome measure(s): Symptom control and patients' tolerance during medical therapy, posttherapy revised AFS score, hormonal profile during triptorelin therapy.
Result(s): Pain control was similar between danazol and triptorelin therapy. There was less breakthrough bleeding with triptorelin. More patients failed to complete the whole course of danazol because of its side effects. The revised AFS score at second-look laparoscopy did not show a significant difference between the two medications. Adequate pituitary suppression was observed with injection of triptorelin every 6 weeks.
Conclusion(s): Lengthening of triptorelin administration intervals from 4 weeks to 6 weeks is effective in maintaining a hypoestrogenic state. Patients were more compliant with triptorelin than danazol. Thus, triptorelin injection every 6 weeks is more cost-effective than conventional regimens.