Pelvic inflammatory disease in virginal adolescent females without tubo-ovarian abscess.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of the upper genital tract that is often caused by an ascending sexually transmitted infection. The complications of PID include pyosalpinx and tubo-ovarian abscess, infertility or ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain of varying degrees. These sequelae underscore the importance of prompt diagnosis. We present 2 cases of PID in young women who denied any history of sexual activity or sexual abuse. Both cases were brought to the operating room with suspected appendicitis; however, laparoscopic evaluation revealed purulent fluid surrounding the pelvic organs. The literature is scant with respect to PID in the virginal patient. It is important to keep pelvic infection in the differential diagnosis of virginal patients who present with clinical symptoms of an acute abdomen.
(Copyright © 2014 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)