The impact of chronic endometritis on endometrial fibrosis and reproductive prognosis in patients with moderate and severe intrauterine adhesions: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of chronic endometritis (CE) diagnosed by CD138 immunohistochemical (IHC) staining on endometrial fibrosis and reproductive prognosis in patients with moderate or severe intrauterine adhesions (IUAs).

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

SETTING

University-affiliated hospital.

PATIENT(S): One hundred sixty-seven women with moderate to severe IUAs.

INTERVENTION(S): Transcervical resection of adhesions (TCRA) and endometrial biopsy were performed in all patients. According to results of IHC staining with anti-syndecan-1 antibodies to identify CD138 cells, participants were classified into two groups: 78 patients with CE (CE group) and 89 women without CE (NCE group). IHC staining for fibrosis markers transforming growth factor beta 1, anti-fibrosis markers matrix metalloproteinase 9, and endometrial receptivity marker integrin alpha v beta 3 was later applied to all tissue samples.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Endometrial fibrosis, endometrial receptivity, and reproductive prognosis.

RESULT(S): CE diagnosed by CD138 IHC staining has a high incidence, 46%, in moderate and severe IUAs. In the CE group, the expression of transforming growth factor beta 1 was higher than that in the NCE group, and the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and alpha v beta 3 was lower than that in the NCE group. The pregnancy rate and live birth rate in the NCE group were higher than those in the CE group (42.7% vs. 31.5%, 26.9% vs. 17.9%).

CONCLUSION(S): CE may affect the endometrial fibrosis homeostasis in IUAs. Women with CE were more likely to experience recurrence of adhesions and had poorer reproductive outcomes.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NO: NCT02744807.