Comparison of Severe Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Pyosalpinx and Tubo-ovarian Abscess

Aim: Inflammation of the upper genital tract causes pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which may be complicated by pelvic abscesses, such as pyosalpinx and tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA). This study aimed to determine the clinical differences between pyosalpinx and TOA in patients with PID.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 458 female patients who were admitted to Hallym University Kang Dong Sacred Heart Hospital for a clinical diagnosis of PID from 1 January 2007 to 30 April 2012. Sociodemographic, clinical and laboratory data were compared among the non-abscess, pyosalpinx, and TOA groups.

Results: We identified 110 patients (24%) diagnosed with pelvic abscess associated with PID, including 34 with pyosalpinx and 76 with TOA. The pyosalpinx group had shorter hospital stays (P = 0.007), lower C-reactive protein levels (P = 0.015), smaller mass sizes (P < 0.001), and fewer surgical interventions (P < 0.001) than the TOA group.

Conclusions: Pyosalpinx is a less severe form of PID that leads to shorter hospital stays and more favorable outcomes than TOA.