title: Immunohistochemistrical and clinicopathological characterization of chronic endometritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic endometritis is an elusive entity that is often asymptomatic and undetectable by conventional endometrial biopsy and histological examination. Using immunohistochemistry for full-thickness endometrium, we sought for its clinicopathological features.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and thirty-four archival endometrial specimens obtained by hysterectomy were immunostained for the plasmacyte marker syndecan-1 to identify chronic endometritis. Endometrial morphology was dated by the standard criteria. The immunoreactive cells were enumerated in 10 non-overlapping endometrial stromal areas. The clinical parameters were obtained from the medical charts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chronic endometritis was identified in 11.1% of the samples examined. Its occurrence was similar between the proliferative phase and secretory phase. A total of 23.1% of the cases were asymptomatic. Stromal plasmacyte infiltration and morphological delay were more prominent in symptomatic chronic endometritis than in asymptomatic counterpart.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chronic endometritis is a common gynecological pathological condition and more often asymptomatic than ever expected. There was no menstrual cycle-dependent fluctuation in its occurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kajii-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Japan. kitaya@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitaya
authors.forename: Tadahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasuo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004716:Endometritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000276:immunology; D053668:Syndecan-1 / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D053668:Syndecan-1