Journal of Pain Research (Apr 2024)

Distribution of Nerve Fibers in Abdominal Wall Endometriosis and Their Clinical Significance

  • Zhang C,
  • Dai Y,
  • Zhang J,
  • Li X,
  • Jia S,
  • Shi J,
  • Leng J

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 17
pp. 1563 – 1570

Abstract

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Chenyu Zhang,1 Yi Dai,1 Junji Zhang,1 Xiaoyan Li,1 Shuangzheng Jia,2 Jinghua Shi,1,* Jinhua Leng1,* 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, National Clinical Research Center for Obstetric & Gynecologic Diseases, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gynecologic Oncology, National Cancer Center / National Clinical Research Center for Cancer / Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jinghua Shi; Jinhua Leng, Tel +86 151-0101-6294 ; +86 137-0129-8616, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: This study aimed to explore the distribution of nerve fibers in abdominal wall endometriosis (AWE) and discern their association with pain.Methods: A retrospective case–control study was conducted. The cases comprised 30 patients diagnosed with AWE, while the control group consisted of 17 patients who had undergone laparotomy without any history of endometriosis. We analyzed clinical characteristics and examined the innervation patterns in samples using stains for S-100, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5), neurofilament (NF), and substance P (SP) antibodies.Results: There was a notable increase in the density of S-100, NSE and PGP9.5 immunoreactive nerve fibers and a higher proportion of SP positivity in AWE lesions compared to standard abdominal wall scars (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the density or proportion of NF-immunoreactive nerve fibers between the cases and the controls. Moreover, no statistically significant correlation was observed between the density of S-100, NSE, PGP9.5, NF, or SP-positive nerve fibers and pain scores.Conclusion: This study demonstrated an increased immunoreactive nerve fiber density located in AWE lesions compared to normal abdominal wall scars. Further high-quality studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms responsible for pain in women with endometriosis.Keywords: abdominal wall endometriosis, pain, nerve fibers, immunohistochemistry

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