Nerve fibers and histopathology of endometriosis-harboring peritoneum

Study Objective. To evaluate the presence of nerve fibers and histopathology of normal peritoneum and endometriosis-harboring peritoneum. Design. Prospective, nonrandomized study (Canadian Task Force classification II-1). Setting. University hospital. Materials. Peritoneal specimen from 40 women with laparoscopic findings of endometriosis (24 confirmed histopathologically, group H, 16 diagnosed by laparoscopy, group L) and from 9 women with no endometriosis (controls). Intervention. Histopathologic examination of peritoneal specimens with nerve fibers identified by immunocytochemistry staining with an antibody to neurofilament. Measurements and Main Results. No differences in mean nerve score were seen among the three groups. Degrees of lymphocytic infiltration and mesothelial hyperplasia were higher in group H than in the other two groups (p <0.01 and <0.05, respectively). The degree of lymphocytic infiltration was significantly higher in group L than in the control group (p <0.05). There were no differences in all measurements between women in group H who experienced chronic pelvic pain and those who did not. Conclusion. The presence of nerve fibers in peritoneum is not related to endometriosis. Endometriosis-harboring peritoneum contains more lymphocytic infiltration than normal peritoneum.