title: Comparison of severe pelvic inflammatory disease, pyosalpinx and tubo-ovarian abscess.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ho Yeon
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeong In
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: ChongSoo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D005184:Fallopian Tube Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008875:Middle Aged; D010049:Ovarian Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012488:Salpingitis / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: pelvic inflammatory disease; pyosalpinx; tubo-ovarian abscess