Korean J Reprod Med.  2010 Jun;37(2):159-168.

VEGF Expression Patterns in Eutopic Endometrium of Patients with Endometriosis

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ymchoi@snu.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Institute of Reproductive Medicine and Population, Seoul National University, Korea.
  • 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the expression pattern of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in endometrium and the pathogenesis of endometriosis by investigating VEGF expression patterns and their difference between eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis and that of normal controls without endometriosis.
METHODS
Endometrial sections were obtained from 64 hysterectomy specimens from women under age of 40, who had undergone hysterectomies and had histological evidence of endometriosis, with stage 3 and 4 according to the revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine classification. As for controls, 37 sections were gained from women diagnosed as having cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) of the uterine cervix and without evidence of pelvic endometriosis or adenomyosis during their operation. The VEGF content was evaluated immunohistochemically in the eutopic endometrium from 64 patients with endometriosis and 37 normal controls. Histological semiquantitative score (H-score) was calculated and compared between study group and control group throughout the menstrual cycle.
RESULTS
There was no significant difference in the H-score of VEGF in the eutopic endometrium between patients with endometriosis and controls without endometriosis when compared according to the same phase of the cycle, although the H-score of the study group was significantly higher in the secretory phase than the proliferative phase.
CONCLUSION
The VEGF expression in the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis was not different from that of women without endometriosis. This study suggests VEGF expression in eutopic endometrium is unlikely associated with the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Keyword

VEGF; Endometriosis; Angiogenesis; Endometrium; Immunohistocytochemistry

MeSH Terms

Adenomyosis
Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
Cervix Uteri
Endometriosis
Endometrium
Female
Humans
Hysterectomy
Immunohistochemistry
Reproductive Medicine
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
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