RESUMO
The objective of this prospective controlled study was to investigate the ability of a group of serum and peritoneal fluid [PF] markers to predict non-surgical endometriosis. The study was conducted in Assiut University hospital, serum and PF samples were obtained from 40 women at the reproductive age, while undergoing laparoscopy for infertility or suspicious qf endometriosis. Concentrations of interleukin [IL] 6, IL-15 and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha were measured in serum and PF, by sandwich ELISA technique, and levels were compared among women who were allocated to groups according to post-surgical diagnosis, group I [endometriosis], included 24 patients, group II [non-endometriosis], included 7 women with peritoneal adhesions not related to endometriosis, and group III [control group], included 9 women without pelvic pathology. The endometriotic group was classified into 3 stages according to the revised American Fertility Society [I985] classification: Stage I, 11 patient, stage II, 8 patients and stage III, 5 patients. Results of this study revealed that serum IL-6 was significantly higher in endometriosis than in non-endometriosis and controls, serum TNF-alpha was significantly higher in endometriosis than controls with no significant difference with nonendometriosis. Serum IL- 15 was undetectable in all controls as well as about half of the endomoetriotic and non-endometriotic groups. As regards PF-IL-6, it showed no significant difference in comparing the 3 groups with each other. Both PF-TNF-alpha and PF-IL-15 were significantly higher in endometriosis than in non-endometriosis and controls and in non-endometriosis than controls. PF-IL- 15 levels were significantly higher in late stages of endometriosis and positively correlated with the stage of endometriosis. In conclusion only serum IL-6, PF-IL-15 and PF-TNF-alpha could be used to discriminate between patients with and without endometriosis. Before these markers can be used as a non-surgical diagnostic tool, these data should be verified in a larger study PF-IL-15 is the only marker that is affected by the stage of endometriosis and so, it can be used us a quantitative rest for severity of the disease