The Association of Sonographic Evidence of Adenomyosis with Severe Endometriosis and Gene Expression in Eutopic Endometrium

Uri P. Dior, Debbie Nisbet, Nisbet D, Jenny N. Fung, Foster G, Grant Foster, Healey M, Martin Healey, Montgomery GW, Grant W. Montgomery, Peter A. W. Rogers, Sarah J Holdsworth-Carson, Sarah J. Holdsworth‐Carson, Jane E. Girling
Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology · 2018 · vol. 26(5) , pp. 941–948 · doi:10.1016/j.jmig.2018.09.780 · PMID:30273686 · W2892437138
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 19 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This study investigated the link between sonographic signs of adenomyosis and the severity of endometriosis, as well as gene expression patterns in the eutopic endometrium.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Study objectiveTo examine the presence of sonographic evidence of adenomyosis (SEOA) in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for the investigation of endometriosis and to assess if there is an association between SEOA and endometriosis severity. Using gene expression analysis, we also aimed to determine if gene expression in eutopic endometria differed in patients with and without adenomyosis.DesignA prospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).SettingA tertiary medical center.PatientsReproductive-age women who underwent laparoscopic surgery after presenting to a pelvic pain-focused gynecology clinic.InterventionsEndometrial tissue, detailed patient questionnaires, pathology, and surgical notes were collected. Sonographic data from tertiary ultrasounds performed up to 12 months before surgery were retrospectively added (n = 234, researchers blinded to surgical and pathological findings). Gene array data from endometrial biopsies (n = 41) were used to analyze differential gene expression; patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of SEOA.Measurements and main resultsOf the 588 patients recruited, 234 (40%) had an available pelvic scan and were included in this study. The average age of the included women was 30.6 years, with 35% having SEOA. Patients with SEOA were 5.4 years older (p = .02). There was no significant difference in the rates of endometriosis between groups; however, patients with SEOA were more likely to have stage IV endometriosis (41% vs 9.8%, p <.001). Patients with SEOA were also more likely to have other markers of severe endometriosis such as endometriomas and deep infiltrating endometriosis (p <.001). No significant difference was observed in endometrial gene expression between adenomyosis cases and controls after adjusting for menstrual c`ycle phases and the presence/absence of endometriosis.ConclusionSonographic features of adenomyosis may be included as a component of the clinical assessment when attempting to predict the presence of severe endometriosis. No differences in gene expression were observed. Further research is needed to characterize uterine adenomyosis and to explore molecular pathways involved in its pathogenesis.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_painadenomyosis

MeSH descriptors

Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometrium Peritoneal Diseases Peritoneal Diseases Peritoneal Diseases Peritoneal Diseases Peritoneal Diseases Adult Endometrium Endometrium Female

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (35)

Cited by (21)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-09-11T06:15:56.568227+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:19:31.300640+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-09-11T06:32:28.951138+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK