Peritoneal fluid interleukin-6 in women with chronic pelvic pain.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between peritoneal fluid concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and chronic pelvic pain symptomatology in women with adhesions, endometriosis, or no obvious intraperitoneal pathology.

DESIGN

Clinical research study.

SETTING

Healthy volunteers in an academic research environment.

PATIENT(S): Reproductive-aged women undergoing laparoscopy for the diagnosis of pelvic pain, infertility, or sterilization were selected.

INTERVENTION(S): Peritoneal fluid was collected at the time of the laparoscopy and later assayed for IL-6. Subjects completed a pelvic pain questionnaire, and operative reports were used to obtain the underlying diagnosis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Interleukin-6 concentrations.

RESULT(S): No correlation between the presence or absence of pelvic pain, findings of adhesions or endometriosis, and the concentration of peritoneal fluid IL-6 was observed.

CONCLUSION(S): The cytokine IL-6 does not seem to play a role in the genesis of chronic pelvic pain in women with adhesions or endometriosis.