Study On Angiogenesis And Expression Of VEGF In Patients With Adenomyosis Of The Uterus

Objective: To investigate the role of angiogenesis and expression of VEGF in the pathophysiology of adenomyosis of the uterus.Methods: The study included 32 patients with histologically proven adenomyosis and 21 cases of normal endometria(and myometrial). Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect VEGF and MVD expression in different parts of the uterus.Results: The Microvessel density(MVD)in the endometrium of adenomyosis uterus is increased significantly in comparison with normal endometrium(P<0.05),and stroma vascularization increased in the secretory phase.The Microvessel density in ectopic endometrium increased compared to that in eutopic endometrium and EMI(P<0.01),but showed no cyclic change .The VEGF staining intensety of glandular cells in the endometrium of adenomyosis uterus was much stronger than that of normal uterus (P<0.05),and increased in the secretory phase .The VEGF staining intensity of stroma cells decreased,however,significantly in the secretory phase (P<0.05).Compared with eutopic endometrium and EMI,the VEGF staining intensity in ectopic endometrium increased significantly (P<0.01), but showed no cyclic change. Significant relationships were found between the VEGF staining intensity and the MVD (p<0.05).Conclusions: The angiogenesis activity of the endometrium of adenomyosis was markedly increased. The vascular changes may be one of important factors for the development of adenomyosis.The VEGF is probably cytokine, which regulate angiogenesis in the endometrium and myometrium of adenomyosis uterus.