Beyond Pain: The Neuroendocrine–Immune Axis in Endometriosis
Endometriosis is often considered a hormonal and inflammatory disease—but this may be only part of the story. A recent review published in Biomolecules by Chang et al. from Fudan University, Shanghai, highlights that endometriosis is better understood as a condition…
Key Points Lay SummaryPelvic nerve endometriosis: Diagnostic and treatment insights.
The exact mechanisms behind pelvic pain in endometriosis remain complex. Current understanding suggests that endometriotic lesions interact with sensory, sympathetic, and parasympathetic nerve fibers, driving inflammation, angiogenesis, and even direct invasion of peripheral nerves. This explains why deep infiltrating endometriosis…
Key Points Lay SummaryLaparoscopic Pudendal Neurolysis: A Solution for Entrapment-Related Pelvic Pain
Pudendal neuralgia is a debilitating condition marked by chronic neuropathic pain in areas innervated by the pudendal nerve, often worsening with sitting and accompanied by urinary, bowel, and sexual dysfunctions. Central sensitization—a heightened nervous system reactivity—affects nearly half of these…
Key Points Lay SummaryImpact of Nerve Preservation During Parametrectomy on Urinary Retention in Deep Endometriosis Surgery
Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is the most advanced form of the disease, characterized by lesions penetrating deeper than 5 mm. Surgical treatment requires a meticulous approach to minimize functional complications. Deep lesions involving the parametrium, uterosacral ligaments, and anterior rectal…
Key Points Lay SummaryNerve-Sparing Surgery Safe in DIE
Robot-assisted nerve-sparing modified radical hysterectomy is associated with longer operative times and lower estimated blood loss compared to the conventional laparoscopic approach to treat deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), according to a new study published in the scientific journal Archives of…
Key Points Lay SummaryWhy we should prefer nerve-sparing surgery in deep endometriosis?
Despite its benign nature, deep endometriosis can mimic malignant processes and infiltrate multiple organs, blood vessels, ligaments, and nerves within the pelvis. When conservative medical management fails, the need for surgical excision of endometriotic lesions arises. The surgeons aim to…
Key Points Lay SummaryThe depth of the iceberg: Parametrial involvement in deep endometriosis
Academicians led by members of the International School of Surgical Anatomy from Italy have published their paper on parametrial involvement of deep endometriosis in the medical periodical named “Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology”. Deep endometriosis is troublesome when…
Key Points Lay SummaryUterine innervation and its impact on endometriosis related pelvic pain.
Advancements in immunochemistry, fluorochromes, computer-associated anatomical dissection, and 3D reconstruction of uterine micro-innervation brought substantial progress in pelvic neuroanatomy. The complex uterine innervation and its interactions with uterine parts and layers are yet fully revealed. Austruc et al., from the…
Key Points Lay SummaryQuantification of nerve bundle density as a biomarker for endometriosis utilizing PGP9.5 immunostaining
Scientists from Netherlands and Canada have published their authentic study on immunohistochemically assessed nerve fiber bundles of endometriotic tissues in a recent issue of Frontiers in Reproductive Health. Endometriotic tissues have nerve fibers which are stimulated in inflammatory processes leading…
Key Points Lay SummaryNeurotrophins proposed as possible biomarkers for endometriosis
As the search for a good-quality biomarker in endometriosis continues, certain growth factors have been investigated for their roles in the pathophysiology of the disease. Neurotrophins, as regulators of neuronal development and survival, are also known to take part in…
Key Points Lay SummaryComparison of two different surgical approach to deep colorectal endometriosis in terms of postoperative outcomes.
Deep colorectal endometriosis affects one-fifth of women with endometriosis, which is commonly associated with more pelvic pain and severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Three surgical approaches for deep colorectal endometriosis are segmental colorectal resection, full-thickness discoid resection, and shaving operation. Choosing the…
Key Points Lay SummaryPostoperative outcomes of laparoscopic rectosigmoid resection for bowel endometriosis.
Rectosigmoid endometriosis comprises 80-85% of all bowel endometriosis cases and can be localized in the rectovaginal septum, uterosacral ligaments, retro-cervical region, and parametrium. Symptoms of rectosigmoid endometriosis include abdominal bloating, constipation-diarrhea, lower-back pain, dyschezia, and sometimes cyclic rectal bleeding. Minimally…
Key Points Lay SummaryDeep lateral parametrial endometriosis nerve-sparing surgery
Dr. Kanno et al. from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Kurashiki medical center, Okayama, Japan recently published a deep lateral parametrial endometriosis case report in the journal named Fertility and Sterility. The aim is to demonstrate the technical and…
Key Points Lay SummaryNerve-sparing technique for deep infiltrating endometriosis and its impacts on pelvic organ and sexual functions.
Deep infiltrating endometriosis and involvement of parametrium cause severe pelvic pain and dysfunction of some pelvic organs resulting in a reduction in women's quality of life. Although surgery for DIE aims to relieve pelvic pain, entering into the posterior parametrial…
Key Points Lay SummaryA rare but important disease: "isolated" endometriosis of the sciatic nerve
Professor Marc Possover from Zurich, Switzerland has published his 16-year experience of surgical laparoscopic interventions on isolated endometriosis of the sciatic nerve in a recent issue of the official publication of the European Society for Gynecological Endoscopy; Facts, Views &…
Key Points Lay SummaryIs the presence of nerve fibers in the endometrium associated with endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a common disease in reproductive women and diagnostic imaging have a limited role in its diagnosis. The gold standard diagnostic method remains to be the histopathological examination of the tissue obtained via laparoscopy. One of its most common…
Key Points Lay SummaryA gentle touch on nerves affects dyspareunia
Endometriosis is a common disorder among women. Previous studies reported endometriosis-related deterioration of the quality of life. Deep dyspareunia is a common symptom of endometriosis and young patients face dyspareunia twice as much. Surgical treatments are alternative to medical therapies in cases…
Key Points Lay SummaryExploring Pelvic Pain: Deep to Ischial Spine Including Pre-Sacral Roots - A. Taner Usta, MD
Chronic pelvic pain is defined as pain in the pelvic area that lasts for 6 months or longer and results in functional or psychological disability or requires intervention and treatment by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. There are…
Key Points Lay SummaryWhy Persistent or Recurrent Endometriosis Happens? - Dan Martin, MD
The objectives of Dr. Martin in this presentation are to understand the difficulties in recognition of deep and hidden endometriosis, difficulties in recognition of small lesions of micron size, and differentiate the look-alike lesions of endometriosis. He addressed overcoming these…
Key Points Lay SummaryEndometriosis involving the Sacral Plexus and Sciatic Nerve
Endometriosis rarely involves the sacral and sciatic nerves. A retrospective analysis led by Rouen University Hospital, France and Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, has evaluated preoperative complaints, intraoperative findings, surgical procedures, and postoperative…
Key Points Lay SummaryNew Signaling Pathway Could Be Crucial in the Development of Endometriosis
RAMP1 signaling is crucial for growth and blood and lymphatic vessel formation in endometrial tissue, according to a new study published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. This suggests that blocking RAMP1 could be a new way to…
Key Points Lay SummaryBenefits of Nerve-Sparing Hysterectomy
The retroperitoneal spread of endometriosis or cancer may involve pelvic autonomic nerves situated on the lateral aspects of uterosacral ligaments, vesicouterine ligaments, and medial aspects of parametria. During the conventional open hysterectomy operations, nerve-sparing excision is very difficult, simply because pelvic autonomic nerves…
Key Points Lay SummaryA New Treatment Approach for Endometriosis?
A new approach may be effective at relieving pain associated with endometriosis according to a study published in the PM&R Journal. The new technique may also improve “overall pelvic function, particularly in relation to intercourse, working, and sleeping,” according to the…
Key Points Lay SummaryStudy Sheds Light on Physiological Processes Associated with Endometriosis
Sensory nerves play an important role in the development of endometriosis as well as fibrosis, confirms a study by Chinese researchers. A better understanding of physiological processes associated with the development of endometriosis can help researchers devise new ways to…
Key Points Lay SummaryFusion US/MR imaging in the evaluation of deep infiltrating endometriosis
Scioscia M. et al., from Italy presented a case of a large deep infiltrating nodule of the uterosacral ligament and discussed the importance of a relatively new technique, fusion US/MR imaging in their article. The article containing a video of…
Key Points Lay SummaryEndometriosis that involves the nerves: how Radiologists can help
Endometriosis is a disease with variable clinical symptoms. While rare, nerve involvement by endometriosis may cause neurologic symptoms such as pelvic pain, muscle weakness, bowel and bladder incontinence, and paraplegia depending on the specific nerve involved. Thus, abdominal radiologists should…
Key Points Lay SummaryFibrogenesis in endometriosis: The role of neuropeptides
Endometriosis is a debilitating gynaecologic disease affecting 6–10% of women of reproductive age. Endometriotic lesions are known to be hyperinnervated due to neurogenesis resulting from neutrophins secreted by endometriotic lesions and possibly platelets. These neutrophins seem to preferentially favor the…
Key Points Lay SummaryA novel neurotransmitter, Ninj1, has been found to be expressed in endometriosis
Chronic inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and adenomyosis, and inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1b are highly expressed in them. Inflammation and subsequent hyperinnervation are involved in the pathophysiology of pain generation. High levels of expression of various…
Key Points Lay SummaryReduced pain and increased fertiliy rates after surgery for colorectal endometriosis
This prospective cohort study which recently published in AOGS by Hudelist et al. from Oslo University, Norway is about their one hundred thirty-four laparoscopic operations of DIE cases performed between 2011 and 2016, in a tertiary center in Oslo. The…
Key Points Lay SummaryStress affects endometriosis negatively
Stress contributes to many chronic health problems – endometriosis is one of them. Given that women with endometriosis are under more stress and pain, often with the added stress of infertility, it is important to understand the relationship between stress…
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