Paola Viganò

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition that is responsive to management with steroids. The establishment of a steady hormonal environment and inhibition of ovulation can temporarily suppress ectopic implants and reduce inflammati…

Several causes of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) are recognised, but in many women a definite diagnosis cannot be made. Few randomised controlled trials on treatment of CPP have been conducted. In a Cochrane systematic review, only medroxy-proge…

OBJECTIVES: Some controversy exists for the potential association of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene polymorphism 4G/5G and susceptibility to endometriosis. To clarify this issue, we have examined the prevalence of this p…

In spite of the increasing number of operative laparoscopies performed for endometriosis associated pelvic pain, postoperative symptomatic recurrences are very common. Reoperation is often considered the best treatment option, but the exten…

Estimates of endometriosis recurrence after primary surgery are around 10% per annum during the first postoperative quinquennium. The aim of this study was to define the effect of reoperation in women seeking conception. A MEDLINE and PubMe…

BACKGROUND: Surgery is often considered the best treatment option in women with symptomatic endometriosis. However, extent and duration of the therapeutic benefit are still poorly defined. METHODS: The best available evidence on surgery fo…

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that responds to steroidal manipulation. Creation of a steady hormonal environment with inhibition of ovulation temporarily suppresses the ectopic implants and reduces the inflammatory status …

Endometriosis is a common and enigmatic disease causing pelvic pain and infertility. Current treatment is mainly based on the use of surgery and ovarian suppressive agents. There is in particular the need for new therapeutic options able to…

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the postoperative risk of endometrioma recurrence in women using oral contraception and in those undergoing simple observation. STUDY DESIGN: After laparoscopic excision of ovarian endome…

In this study, we sought to examine the association between P receptor +331G/A polymorphism and endometriosis. We excluded any relationship between endometriosis in general and the P receptor +331G/A polymorphism but found a significant ass…

Laparoscopic treatment for endometriosis-associated infertility is gaining widespread popularity supported mostly by uncontrolled studies, but the purported benefit of surgery may be overvalued. We have therefore analysed the best available…

BACKGROUND: If the menstrual reflux or implantation theory of endometriosis is true, refluxed endometrial cells could reach the right hypochondrium transported by the clockwise peritoneal fluid current and would implant more easily on the r…

OBJECTIVE: To establish whether causality versus biases may explain the association of endometriosis and ovarian cancer. DESIGN: We employ the nine criteria proposed by Austin Bradford Hill, which still stand as foundation milestones for c…

Endometriosis is a multifactorial disease that affects 6–10% of women of reproductive age. Epidemiological studies indicate that it is a polygenic disorder, with recurrence risks in first-degree relatives of approximately 2–9%. Thus, the cu…

Family and twin studies have shown that heritability accounts for endometriosis development to an extent similar to other complex genetic diseases. Both linkage analysis and association studies have been performed to identify genetic determ…

Endometriosis-associated symptomatology can be safely and effectively treated with intrauterine-released progestin, which is associated with fewer adverse effects than other therapeutic options and may be used on a long-term basis. We have …

Cell motility and invasion are crucial events for endometrial cells, not only for the establishment of pathological states but also during the physiological tissue remodelling that occurs during the menstrual cycle and embryo implantation. …

Started at the grassroot level, increased awareness and investment in research has resulted in unprecedented recognition of endometriosis by the European Parliament, taken up by the Italian Senate in a 5-year action plan. This offers welcom…

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent stimulus of angiogenesis potentially contributing to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between the single …

BACKGROUND: An immune-mediated defect in recognition and elimination of endometrial fragments refluxed in the peritoneal cavity has been hypothesized to play a crucial role in endometriosis development. Since vitamin D is an effective modul…

Epidemiological studies of adenomyosis are difficult to interpret because the diagnostic criteria vary so widely that the disease may be easily over-diagnosed. This would severely hamper any attempt to define incidence and prevalence of the…

BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinases are a family of proteolytic enzymes that can degrade extracellular matrix components and have been implicated in connective tissue remodeling associated with cancer invasion and metastasis. These protei…

OBJECTIVE: This review was aimed to critically evaluate observational, cohort, and case-control studies performed so far in order to assess the association between endometriosis and malignant diseases. Based on the observations herein prese…

In addition to its calciotropic function, the secosteroid 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)), has potent anti-proliferative/immunomodulatory effects on various tissues. Consistently, the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of 1,25…