Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Nov;102(5):1213-22.
doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.07.709. Epub 2014 Aug 20.

World Endometriosis Research Foundation Endometriosis Phenome and Biobanking Harmonisation Project: I. Surgical phenotype data collection in endometriosis research

Christian M Becker  1 , Marc R Laufer  2 , Pamela Stratton  3 , Lone Hummelshoj  4 , Stacey A Missmer  5 , Krina T Zondervan  6 , G David Adamson  7 ; WERF EPHect Working Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Review

World Endometriosis Research Foundation Endometriosis Phenome and Biobanking Harmonisation Project: I. Surgical phenotype data collection in endometriosis research

Christian M Becker et al. Fertil Steril. 2014 Nov.

Erratum in

  • Fertil Steril. 2015 Oct;104(4):1047
  • Erratum.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Fertil Steril. 2015 Oct;104(4):1047. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2015.07.1167. Epub 2015 Aug 29. Fertil Steril. 2015. PMID: 28843385 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Objective: To standardize the recording of surgical phenotypic information on endometriosis and related sample collections obtained at laparoscopy, allowing large-scale collaborative research into the condition.

Design: An international collaboration involving 34 clinical/academic centers and three industry collaborators from 16 countries.

Setting: Two workshops were conducted in 2013, bringing together 54 clinical, academic, and industry leaders in endometriosis research and management worldwide.

Patient(s): None.

Intervention(s): A postsurgical scoring sheet containing general and gynecological patient and procedural information, extent of disease, the location and type of endometriotic lesion, and any other findings was developed during several rounds of review. Comments and any systematic surgical data collection tools used in the reviewers' centers were incorporated.

Main outcome measure(s): The development of a standard recommended (SSF) and minimum required (MSF) form to collect data on the surgical phenotype of endometriosis.

Result(s): SSF and MSF include detailed descriptions of lesions, modes of procedures and sample collection, comorbidities, and potential residual disease at the end of surgery, along with previously published instruments such as the revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine and Endometriosis Fertility Index classification tools for comparison and validation.

Conclusion(s): This is the first multicenter, international collaboration between academic centers and industry addressing standardization of phenotypic data collection for a specific disease. The Endometriosis Phenome and Biobanking Harmonisation Project SSF and MSF are essential tools to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of endometriosis by allowing large-scale collaborative research into the condition.

Keywords: EPHect SSF; Endometriosis; harmonization; laparoscopy; phenotyping; standardization.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram depicting the WERF EPHect development and consensus process (surgical data collection).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic distribution of video and photo imaging encompassing the entire female pelvis and its organs. Each zone is recommended to be photographed separately.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Suggested timeline for biological sample collection depending on research question.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Von Rokitansky C. Ueber Uterusdrusen-Neubildung in Uterus and Ovarialsarcomen. Zkk Gesellsch Aerzte zu Wien. 1860;37:577.
    1. ASRM Revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine classification of endometriosis: 1996. Fertil Steril. 1997;67:817–821. - PubMed
    1. Haas D., Wurm P., Shamiyeh A., Shebl O., Chvatal R., Oppelt P. Efficacy of the revised Enzian classification: a retrospective analysis. Does the revised Enzian classification solve the problem of duplicate classification in rASRM and Enzian? Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2013;287:941–945. - PubMed
    1. Vercellini P., Fedele L., Aimi G., Pietropaolo G., Consonni D., Crosignani P.G. Association between endometriosis stage, lesion type, patient characteristics and severity of pelvic pain symptoms: a multivariate analysis of over 1000 patients. Hum Reprod. 2007;22:266–271. - PubMed
    1. Adamson G.D. Endometriosis Fertility Index: is it better than the present staging systems? Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2013;25:186–192. - PubMed

Publication types