Effect of Anti TNFa Upon Deep Endometriosis Associated Pain

Inclusion Criteria: * The patients (aged 18-50 years) were all recruited from a single, tertiary referral hospital at Leuven University, Belgium, specialising in the surgical treatment of severe endometriosis. * All the women were symptomatic and scheduled for surgical excision of a rectovaginal nodule, at least 1 cm in diameter, diagnosed on the basis of clinical examination at the time of menstruation. * All the women had a menstrual cycle occurring every 25 to 40 days. * If previously treated with hormonal medication for endometriosis, at least 3 months must have elapsed and they must have had at least two menstrual cycles since stopping treatment. * Unless the women had previously been sterilised, they had to agree to use a double-barrier method of contraception for the duration of the study and for up to 6 months after receiving the last infusion. * The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Leuven University. * Written, informed consent was obtained before any study related procedures were performed. Exclusion Criteria: * Evidence on chest x-ray in the previous 3 months of old or currently active TB, or other history/evidence of active TB, even if adequately treated * Evidence of serious infections (such as pneumonia or pyelonephritis) in the previous 3 months * Evidence of a documented HIV infection, active hepatitis-B or C, or an opportunistic infection (e.g. herpes zoster, cytomegalovirus, pneumocystis carinii, aspergillosis, histoplasmosis, or mycobacteria other than TB) in the previous 6 months * Previous transplant surgery, a lymphoproliferative disorder or other malignancy * Positive cervical cytology in the previous 6 months * Previous treatment with infliximab, any drug known to affect TNF-α levels, e.g. pentoxifylline, thalidomide and etanercept, or any human/murine recombinant products * Known allergy to murine products * Use of other investigational drugs within 1 month of recruitment or within 5 half-lives of the investigational agent, whichever was longer * Any haematological or biochemical abnormalities on routine screening. * Subjects were also excluded if there was any pelvic pathology on transvaginal ultrasound scan (TVS) other than small uterine fibroids (\< 4 cm in diameter) and an ovarian endometrioma or endometriotic nodule.