title: Acute salpingitis--laparoscopic and microbiological evaluation.
abstract: The diagnosis as well as the severity of acute pelvic inflammatory disease (APID) can be difficult to assess clinically. A study was undertaken to compare the accuracy of clinical findings (Gainesville classification) with laparoscopic findings in 28 patients with APID in terms of: (i) establishing the correct diagnosis; (ii) determining the severity of the disease; and (iii) obtaining specimens to establish the causative organisms. The results were as follows: (i) (a) clinical diagnosis of APID was confirmed by laparoscopic evaluation in 78.6% of cases; (b) clinical staging of APID correlated with laparoscopic findings in 82.6% of cases; (ii) severity of the clinical staging of APID correlated with that of laparoscopic staging; and (iii) polymicrobial cause, as reported by other investigators, was confirmed. Laparoscopic evaluation was of importance in eliminating the inaccuracy of clinical diagnosis in 21.4% of cases and in establishing the causative organisms so that optimal treatment could be given and the long-term after-effects of APID reduced.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Pretoria, RSA.
authors: C P
authors: CP
authors: Papavarnavas
authors: P F
authors: PF
authors: Venter
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: van Staden
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D012488:Salpingitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology