{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:46:15Z","timestamp":1790729175264,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":6,"publisher":"Bioscientifica","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781481600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":181,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.bioscientifica.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Lay summary<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue resembling the uterine lining grows elsewhere in the pelvis, often causing pain, infertility, and inflammation. For decades, textbooks and research papers have described the rectovaginal septum (RVS), the thin layer between the vagina and rectum, as a common site of deep endometriosis. Yet this belief has never been conclusively proven. In our study of 161 patients, combining advanced ultrasound, meticulous keyhole surgery, and tissue analysis, we found no evidence of endometriosis within the RVS. Instead, all lesions were located in surrounding structures, including the uterosacral ligaments, the rectouterine pouch, or the bowel. These findings challenge a long-standing anatomical misconception and call for the retirement of outdated terminology. Clarifying where endometriosis truly occurs is critical for improving diagnosis, surgery, and communication in women\u2019s health. Our study overturns decades of dogma by showing that \u2018rectovaginal septum endometriosis\u2019 may be a myth.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1530\/raf-25-0164","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T16:13:09Z","timestamp":1765901589000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/crossmarkpolicy-13","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["The myth of rectovaginal septum endometriosis"],"prefix":"10.1530","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5538-6906","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"M","family":"Leonardi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"1"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M","family":"Marien","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S J","family":"Dedden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G","family":"Condous","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"3"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5534-3965","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"S M","family":"Freger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"416","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026070714040970600_bib1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2452","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/den293","article-title":"Diagnostic value of transvaginal \u201ctenderness-guided\u201d ultrasonography for the prediction of location of deep endometriosis","volume":"23","author":"Guerriero","year":"2008","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2026070714040970600_bib2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"318","DOI":"10.1002\/uog.15955","article-title":"Systematic approach to sonographic evaluation of the pelvis in women with suspected endometriosis, including terms, definitions and measurements: a consensus opinion from the International Deep Endometriosis Analysis (IDEA) group","volume":"48","author":"Guerriero","year":"2016","journal-title":"Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"2026070714040970600_bib3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1093\/hropen\/hoab029","article-title":"An international terminology for endometriosis, 2021","volume":"2021","author":"International Working Group of AAGL, ESGE, ESHRE and WES","year":"2021","journal-title":"Hum Reprod Open"},{"key":"2026070714040970600_bib4","article-title":"Imaging modalities for the non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis","volume":"2016","author":"Nisenblat","year":"2016","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"2026070714040970600_bib5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.31083\/j.ceog4901002","article-title":"A novel complementary method for ultrasonographic screening of deep endometriosis: a case series of 5 patients diagnosed with transvaginal strain elastography","volume":"49","author":"Szab\u00f3","year":"2022","journal-title":"Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"2026070714040970600_bib6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1055\/a-2034-2022","article-title":"Diagnostic accuracy of the IDEA protocol for non invasive diagnosis of rectosigmoid DE \u2013 a prospective cohort study","volume":"45","author":"Szab\u00f3","year":"2024","journal-title":"Ultraschall Med"}],"container-title":["Reproduction and Fertility"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/raf.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/raf\/7\/1\/RAF-25-0164.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/raf.bioscientifica.com\/downloadpdf\/journals\/raf\/7\/1\/RAF-25-0164.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.bioscientifica.com\/raf\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1530\/RAF-25-0164\/507935\/raf-25-0164.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.bioscientifica.com\/raf\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1530\/RAF-25-0164\/507935\/raf-25-0164.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T18:04:15Z","timestamp":1783447455000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.bioscientifica.com\/raf\/article\/7\/1\/RAF250164\/75763\/The-myth-of-rectovaginal-septum-endometriosis"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]]},"references-count":6,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/raf-25-0164","relation":{},"ISSN":["2633-8386"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2633-8386","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]]},"article-number":"RAF250164"}}