title: A case of fitz-hugh-curtis syndrome complicated by appendicitis conservatively treated with antibiotics.
abstract: A 27-year-old woman developed a low grade fever and increased vaginal discharge that persisted for 2 weeks. Intermittent abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant had been experienced over the previous few days. Due to her clinical manifestations and typical abdominal computed tomography (CT) findings, including hepatic capsular enhancement and hepatomegaly, a diagnosis of Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome was made. The early empirical use of antibiotics, azithromycin and levofloxacin, partially improved her symptoms. However, the low grade fever persisted and additional abdominal pain developed in the right lower quadrant. Based on the radiological evidence of an enlarged appendix with wall thickening, a diagnosis of appendicitis was additionally made, which was thought to occur secondarily to the genital tract infection. Following the administration of antibiotics ceftriaxone and cefditoren pivoxil, her symptoms were completely resolved without the need for any surgical intervention. Here, we report the first case of Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome complicated by appendicitis, which was conservatively managed with antibiotic treatment alone. In this case, the overgrowth of pathogens within the genital tract and their direct penetration into the appendix was thought to be responsible for the development of appendicitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology I, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Seiryo-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: Itsuro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kazama
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
keywords: Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome; antibiotic treatment; appendicitis; complication; overgrowth of the pathogen