Diagnostic Value of Endometrial Nerves in the Endometrial Tissue of Patients with Endometriosis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION[|]The aim of the present study was to determine the density of nerve fibers in the functional layer of the endometrium in patients with endometriosis in order to determine if it could be used as a minimally invasive diagnostic method for endometriosis. A secondary goal was to assess the relationship between the severity of pelvic pain due to endometriosis and the density of nerve fibers in endometrial sampling materials.[¤]METHODS[|]Endometrial sampling was performed in 67 patients who presented at the hospital between August 2011 and November 2012. Endometriosis was diagnosed by surgical histopathological examination. A total of 34 patients diagnosed with endometriosis were selected as the study group. Thirty-three patients who were operated on for benign conditions other than endometriosis were selected as a control group. Immunohistochemical detection of the nerve fiber marker protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) was used to analyze the endometrial samples for nerve fibers. Visual Analogue Scale scores were used to evaluate the correlation between nerve fiber density and the severity of pelvic pain. Statistical analyses were calculated with SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 17.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).[¤]RESULTS[|]The mean density of nerve fibers was 1.85+-1.74 fibers/mm2 in the endometriosis group. In the control group, the mean density was 1.15+-1.48 fibers/mm2. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.08). The pelvic pain score did not correlate with PGP 9.5 intensity. [¤]DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION[|]The detection and measurement of nerve fibers in the eutopic endometrium using the PGP 9.5 marker was not found to be a decisive noninvasive method to diagnose endometriosis.[¤]

Keywords

• endometriosis
• immunohistochemistry
• nerve fibers.