Pathogenesis of endometriosis: Look no further than John Sampson.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative historical commentary and expert opinion with no new empirical human data.
PubMed 31836436 · doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2019.10.007
What was done
This paper provides a historical narrative review of John Sampson's publications from 1911 to 1940, re-examining his radiographic vascular injection studies, his vascular/embolic dissemination model, and his subsequent theory of retrograde tubal menstruation.
What was found
The abstract reports no empirical measurements or quantitative data. It argues conceptually that Sampson's earlier 1927 theory of metastatic or embolic dissemination via uterine vasculature accounts for extra-pelvic endometriosis, whereas the more widely remembered retrograde menstruation theory fails to explain such presentations.
Why it matters
Revisiting Sampson's early vascular dissemination framework provides a mechanism-based explanation for atypical and extra-pelvic presentations of endometriosis that are unexplained by retrograde menstruation alone.
Limits
This is a non-systematic historical commentary containing no new clinical, histological, or quantitative data, relying entirely on the author's interpretation of century-old anatomical descriptions.
Cited by
- supports The retrograde menstruation hypothesis proposes that menstrual fluid containing endometrial tissue flows backward through the fallopian tubes into the pelvic cavity and implants on pelvic structures.