Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment in the Emergency Department (Infectious Disease CME and Pharmacology CME)

Points & Pearls Excerpt

• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) refers to inflammatory disorders of the female upper genital tract, and comprises endometritis, salpingitis, and oophoritis.¹¹
• PID can be complicated by tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA), peritonitis, pyosalpinx, and perihepatitis (Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome).
• Recent studies have shown that N gonorrhea and C trachomatis infections were identified in only 22% to 50% of PID cases,^3,27,28 contrary to the original belief that PID was a sequela of sexually transmitted infection (STI).
• The differential diagnosis of PID is broad and the exclusion of life-threatening diagnoses is key. See Table 2.