Learning objectives
Describe the clinical and radiological characteristics of pelvic inflammatory disease.
Illustrate the characteristic radiographic findings of this entity with cases of our institution.
Background
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection that affects the female upper genital tract. This is one of the most common diseases in women of childbearing and sexually active ages.
Clinical symptomatology is unspecific,
so that medical imaging is particularly important for diagnosis of this disease.
Findings and procedure details
Etiology
The most common cause is bacterial, being the most frequent bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis.
These germs can enter the female superior genital structures in different ways:
● Spread upward from the uterine cervix. It is the most often implicated mechanism in infection and it is related to sexual transmission.
It usually involves the germs indicated above.
● Spread by continuity from other nearby infectious processes,
as periappendicular abscesses or acute diverticulitis.
● Hematogenous spread. Very rare,
such as tuberculosis.
Risk factors are...
Conclusion
Pelvic inflammatory disease is a frequent and clinically unspecific entity,
so imaging is especially important.
The radiologist should be familiar with the findings that may appear,
both in the initial stages as in cases of advanced disease,
since that determines the choice of the most appropriate treatment.
References
1.
Lee MH,
Moon MH,
Sung CK,
Woo H,
Oh S.
CT findings of acute pelvic inflammatory disease.
Abdom Imaging.
1 de diciembre de 2014;39(6):1350-5.
2.
Revzin MV,
Mathur M,
Dave HB,
Macer ML,
Spektor M.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Multimodality Imaging Approach with Clinical-Pathologic Correlation.
RadioGraphics.
1 de septiembre de 2016;36(5):1579-96.
3.
Ojeda-Fournier H,
Akers MJ.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Spectrum of Imaging Findings.
Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice.
julio de 2006;14(4):227.