Clinical predictors of endometritis in women with symptoms and signs of pelvic inflammatory disease.
OBJECTIVE
Careful detection and treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease are essential for the prevention of adverse sequelae. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic test characteristics of clinical criteria for the diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline characteristics of 651 patients enrolled in a multicenter randomized treatment trial for pelvic inflammatory disease. Clinical and laboratory findings were recorded for all patients, and endometrial sampling was performed. We calculated sensitivity and specificity and performed receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and multivariate logistic regression, using histologic endometritis as the criterion standard.


RESULTS
The minimal criteria for pelvic inflammatory disease, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had a sensitivity of 83%, in comparison with a 95% sensitivity for adnexal tenderness (P =.001). Of the supportive clinical criteria, the finding most highly associated with endometritis was a positive test result for Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae (adjusted odds ratio, 4.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.89--6.63). A multivariate logistic regression model indicated that combinations of criteria significantly improve the prediction of endometritis.


CONCLUSIONS
Sensitivity can be maximized by using the presence of adnexal tenderness as a minimal criterion for the diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease, and supportive criteria are helpful in estimating the probability of endometritis.
Peipert
J F
JF
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Infants' Hospital, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island 02905, USA.
Ness
R B
RB
Blume
J
J
Soper
D E
DE
Holley
R
R
Randall
H
H
Sweet
R L
RL
Sondheimer
S J
SJ
Hendrix
S L
SL
Amortegui
A
A
Trucco
G
G
Bass
D C
DC
D000290:Adnexa Uteri / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004716:Endometritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D007973:Leukorrhea; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012372:ROC Curve; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014245:Trichomonas Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis