Kick off Meeting

Bologna, Italy, 15 December 2022: The European project “Mona Lisa Smile” started in Bologna on 1 December. It is the first European health training project which aims to provide early diagnosis of endometriosis in adolescents, and is aimed at specialists and residents in Gynecology and Obstetrics, and general practitioners throughout Europe.

The first meeting took place online, hosted by UNIBO project coordinator. ’Mona Lisa smile’: professional education and early diagnosis of endometriosis in adolescence, is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU. “Mona Lisa Smile” develops a digital training (MOOCS) and a specific app, and addresses the needs of education and training of health professionals on endometriosis in adolescence, with the aim of reducing the diagnostic delay.

Endometriosis diagnostic delay is estimated to be around 7 years, despite the early symptoms onset. Early diagnosis, in particular in adolescents, still represents a challenge for clinicians. The diagnostic delay is probably due to an inadequate knowledge of the disease among health professionals, together with the peculiar aspects of this condition in adolescent patients

‘The presence of endometriosis in the adolescent young woman seems similar to a Mona Lisa smile with a mysterious innocence. The complaints are common and elicit compassion, but do not stimulate a search for the cause.’ The University of Bologna is the project coordinator, with the support of 5 European partners: University of Siena in Italy, University of Liège in Belgium, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna and Skåne University Hospital in Sweden.