Zhang C, Dai Y, Zhang J, Li X, Jia S, Shi J, Leng J. Distribution of Nerve Fibers in Abdominal Wall Endometriosis and Their Clinical Significance.
J Pain Res 2024;
17:1563-1570. [PMID:
38699067 PMCID:
PMC11063460 DOI:
10.2147/jpr.s453148]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective
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.
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