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Hysterosalpingography demonstrated unilateral opacification of Gartner's duct and bilateral diverticulosis (salpingitis isthmica nodosa) of the fallopian tubes. An association of two mesonephric abnormalities in the same patient is postulated. The case also serves as a reminder of the association of diverticulosis with tubal ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
OBJECTIVE: To develop a model of pathogenesis by which Chlamydia trachomatis progresses from acute to chronic infection, and finally serious disease (salpingitis, tubal occlusion). DESIGN: Review of current literature located through web-based Medline searches using key words: Chlamydia trachomatis, immunology, cytokines, heat shock protein, infertility. RESULT(S): Cell-mediated immune mechanisms appear to be critical in determining whether acute infection is resolved or progresses into chronicity with pathological outcome. What determines the particular immune pathway depends on a range of determinants-HLA subtype and human genetics, cytokine profile, infectious load, route of infection, and endocrinology. A clearer picture of the natural history of chlamydial pathology may assist in providing better predictors of those women who may go on to develop significant sequelae after infection. CONCLUSION(S): Predicting those who may develop serious disease, including infertility, may contribute to improved management of such persons during earlier stages of infection and assist in prevention.
A retrospective study of 83 patients with pathologically documented tubal ectopic pregnancy demonstrated a statistically significant association (P less than 0.005) between prior spontaneous abortion and ectopic pregnancy. In this population with a low incidence of chronic salpingitis, it is suggested that delayed (post-midcycle) ovulation, causing preovulatory over-ripeness of the ovum, may be the common underlying etiologic factor. The clinical significance of this finding is also briefly discussed.
Upper genital tract infection with Chlamydia trachomatis appears to be a frequent cause of salpingitis and tubal infertility. However, the prevalence of active infection in women with infertility has not been well-defined. To examine this question, endocervical and endometrial cultures for C. trachomatis were obtained from infertile women with serum antibodies to C. trachomatis. The first 19 consecutive patients with titers greater than or equal to 1/32 were cultured. C. trachomatis was recovered from the endometrium or endocervix in six (32%) of the women examined and from the endometrium in five (26%). These findings indicate that a significant portion of infertile women with serum antichlamydial antibodies may have active upper genital tract infection with C. trachomatis at the time of presentation.
OBJECTIVES: To lay down the criteria to clearly define whether conservative or radical laparoscopic treatment should be adopted in cases of ectopic pregnancies (EP). DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative. SETTING: At the University Hospital of Clermont Ferrand and the La Pergola Clinic at Vichy from July 1974 to December 1987. PATIENTS: This study was carried out in 223 patients who had been treated laparoscopically for EP and who desired future childbearing and who were not lost to follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The measures chosen to achieve the objective included age, parity, size of hematosalpinx, volume of hemoperitoneum, tubal rupture, location, intrauterine device, ipsilateral and contralateral adhesions, and patient's previous history of salpingitis, EP, solitary tube, and tubal infertility. RESULTS: The general intrauterine pregnancy rate was 67% (149 patients) and the recurrence rate 12% (27 patients). The results according to the studied factors demonstrated that age, parity, and the type of the EP have no influence on the postectopic fertility. The history of the patient, ipsilateral adhesions, or contralateral tubal status significantly reduce the future fertility prognosis and risk of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: From a multivariable analysis, the authors propose a scoring system to choose the most suitable treatment to preserve fertility and to reduce the risk of recurrence ranging from laparoscopic conservative treatment to laparoscopic salpingectomy with contralateral sterilization.
Transvaginal catheterization of the fallopian tube has gained increased popularity for transfer of embryos and gametes. Forty-five ITIs were performed on 32 patients using the novel approach of tubal transfer via tactile sensation. This group of patients had undergone an average of 5.2 IUIs before ITI. There were a total of 11 pregnancies, 6 occurring with hMG stimulation and 5 with CC-stimulated cycles (34% PR per patient). Three pregnancies ended with spontaneous abortion, and one patient developed acute salpingitis necessitating laparotomy. These data suggest ITI may be effective in assisted reproduction but, as other invasive procedures, is not without risk.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the findings of the case-control and cohort studies used to indict the Dalkon Shield (A.H. Robins Company, Inc., Richmond, VA) with the findings of the Dalkon Shield clinical trials. DATA IDENTIFICATION: All published reports on the Dalkon Shield were identified through MEDLARS system (United States National Library of Medicine) searches and by cross checking all references in these reports. The same approach was used to identify all case-control and cohort studies of the purported relationship between intrauterine devices (IUDs) and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). STUDY SELECTION: Only studies of interval patients that included 50 or more women and 6 or more months of follow up that computed standard IUD event rates (rates of pregnancy and expulsion and removal for pain and bleeding) were selected for this study. All case-control and cohort studies identified were included except two case-control studies that included women with sterile chronic salpingitis. RESULTS: The 16 case-control and 2 cohort studies found or suggested that the Dalkon Shield increased the risk of PID. The 71 clinical trials of the Dalkon Shield show that when this device is inserted by an experienced clinician it is a safe and effective contraceptive method, comparable with other IUDs used at the time. There was no evidence of an increased risk of PID found in these clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers convincing evidence that the indictment of the Dalkon Shield was a mistake. Additionally, this study shows that physician skill and experience is far more important to successful IUD insertion than previously recognized, a finding with considerable implications for IUD study designs and for marketing strategies.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the current impact of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and their consequences on the occurrence of ectopic pregnancy (EP). DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Fifteen maternity hospitals in the Rhône-Alpes region, France. SUBJECTS: Six hundred twenty-four women with EP diagnosed from October 1988 to December 1991 and 1,247 controls who delivered liveborn children during the same period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Information on risk factors included behavioral, clinical, and serological indicators of STDs and other known risk factors of EP. RESULTS: Logistic regression identified several indicators of STDs as strong and independent risk factors for EP: previously treated STD without history of salpingitis; history of probably pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and, especially, history of confirmed PID; previous STDs of the sexual partner; and Chlamydia trachomatis seropositivity. The adjusted attributable fractions of EP for previous symptomatic STDs, symptomatic STDs of the sexual partner, and C. trachomatis seropositivity were 20%, 3.5%, and 25.2%, respectively, giving a total of 43% of EP cases attributable to infectious factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings and previous epidemiological and biological evidence suggest that STD is a major cause of EP. The evidence is particularly strong in the case of C. trachomatis infection. An effective way of dramatically reducing the EP rate would be to prevent STD through education programs sensitizing young women to the complications of STD and public health measures promoting the use of protective methods such as condoms.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the transcervical approach for fallopian tissue sampling is a practicable and safe method to establish an etiologic diagnosis of salpingitis. DESIGN: Controlled clinical study. SETTING: Academic research environment. PATIENT(S): Twenty women with primary or secondary sterility undergoing hysteroscopy and laparoscopy. INTERVENTION(S): During hysteroscopy, fallopian tissue samples were obtained from the proximal parts of both tubes with a cytobrush inserted through the working channel of the hysteroscope. Diagnostic laparoscopy with assessment of tubal patency was performed in the same session. The specimens were split and used for chlamydial testing by both cell culture and polymerase chain reaction. Serum samples were evaluated for the presence of antichlamydial antibodies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Practicability and safety of the method. RESULT(S): The sampling procedure was performed in all patients without complications. Adequate samples were obtained from both tubes in all 20 patients. The fallopian specimens showed evidence of chlamydial infection in one patient. CONCLUSION(S): Those data indicate that transcervical fallopian tissue sampling with a cytobrush is a reliable and safe technique.
The prevalence of selected microorganisms in the lower genital tract in postmenarchal adolescent girls was assessed, including vaginal Gardnerella vaginalis, group B streptococcus, lactobacillus, Mycoplasma species, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Staphylococcus aureus, and yeast, and endocervical Mycoplasma species, U. urealyticum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis. Specific attention was focused on important sexually transmitted disease organisms, and differences in isolations by age, sexual activity, ethnicity, contraception, and the diagnosis of nonspecific vaginitis were measured. Sexually active subjects had a mean of 6.05 organisms (SD = 3.16), compared with 3.12 organisms (SD = 3.92) in non-sexually active subjects (P = 0.001). Sexually active subjects had significantly more vaginal G. vaginalis, lactobacilli, Mycoplasma species, and U. urealyticum, as well as endocervical Mycoplasma species and U. urealyticum, compared with non-sexually active subjects; C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoea, and T. vaginalis were isolated exclusively from the sexually active group. Significant differences in isolation rates by ethnicity were found in vaginal Mycoplasma species and U. urealyticum, and endocervical Mycoplasma species, U. urealyticum, C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, and T. vaginalis. In general, organisms were isolated from blacks most frequently; N. gonorrhoea was isolated from blacks exclusively. Differences were found in microbiologic isolations by the presence or absence of nonspecific vaginitis. Vaginal G. vaginalis and Mycoplasma species and endocervical Mycoplasma species and U. urealyticum were found significantly more often in isolates from the group with nonspecific vaginitis. It is important to define the microbial flora of the lower genital tract in adolescent girls in order to understand its role in the pathogenesis of acute salpingitis.
The costs of PID to both individuals and society are enormous. Although primary prevention of PID through control of lower genital tract infections is the most effective prevention strategy, early diagnosis and treatment of acute PID may minimize some of its serious sequelae. Although laparoscopy is helpful for establishing the diagnosis of salpingitis, other less invasive tests along with selected clinical criteria may also be useful. Treatment of PID, which is empiric and broad spectrum, is oriented toward polymicrobial PID. Whenever possible, women with PID should be hospitalized for parenteral therapy. The 1989 CDC STD treatment guidelines recommend two regimens for inpatient parenteral therapy: clindamycin/gentamicin and cefoxitin, or equivalent cephalosporin/doxycycline. Outpatient management of PID should be monitored closely; the CDC-recommended regimen includes use of intramuscular cephalosporins and oral doxycycline. Oral penicillins are no longer recommended.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence, risk factors, clinical symptoms and signs, and response to antimicrobial therapy of histologic endometritis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women without clinical salpingitis. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 42 HIV-infected women enrolled from a single clinic. Subjects underwent standardized history, examination, and laboratory determinations, including endometrial biopsy. Women with suspected pelvic inflammatory disease were excluded. All women were given antibiotics and repeat evaluation in 5-7 weeks. Histologic endometritis was defined by at least one stromal plasma cell per 120x field and five or more surface polymorphonuclear leukocytes per 400x field. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used as appropriate. RESULTS: Histologic endometritis was present among 16 (38%) of 42 evaluable HIV-infected women, none of whom had Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Douching three or more times per month, history of ectopic pregnancy, and two or more prior urinary tract infections were associated with endometritis, as was elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P < or = .05). Physical examination findings and mean CD4+ lymphocyte count were similar among those with and without endometritis. In the nine HIV-infected women with a repeat biopsy, endometritis decreased from four (44%) to two (22%) after treatment (P = .30). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of histologic endometritis in HIV-infected women was high despite few examination findings and no demonstrated pathogens. Endometritis in HIV-infected women might be related to pathogens not evaluated, to prior infection, or to reduced immunity from HIV.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of perihepatic adhesions in patients undergoing surgery for ectopic pregnancy with the incidence in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic sterilization. Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome is a perihepatitis that usually occurs as a complication of pelvic inflammatory disease. Perihepatic adhesions may be an aftereffect of the acute hepatic episode, and because the cause of ectopic gestation is thought to be salpingitis, women with an ectopic gestation may also have a higher prevalence of coexisting perihepatic adhesions. METHODS: We reviewed charts of 97 women who had undergone laparoscopy or laparotomy for ectopic pregnancy (study group) and 116 women who had laparoscopic sterilization (control group). We recorded all perihepatic, pelvic, or abdominal adhesions that were documented at the time of surgery. Medical histories and sites of adhesions in the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The incidence of perihepatic adhesions was 14% in the study group compared with 3% in the control group (P < .01). For the total patient population, a history of pelvic infection correlated positively with the presence of perihepatic adhesions (P < .01), and the study (ectopic) group had a higher incidence of previous pelvic infection. CONCLUSION: Compared with control subjects, significantly more women with ectopic pregnancies had perihepatic adhesions. In women who have history of pelvic infection or ectopic pregnancy, physicians should inquire about long-term right upper quadrant pain. The inclusion of lysis of perihepatic adhesions in the preoperative consent form may be useful.
Combined regimen contraceptive steroids produce precocious endometrial secretion, followed by involution leading to a suppressed endometrium with small tubular glands and failure of spiral arterioles to develop; decidua-like stromal changes are dose related as is dilatation of venules. Thrombosis of the latter, perhaps estrogen mediated, leads to local tissue infarction and is the proximate cause of "breakthrough bleeding". Sequential regimen contraceptive steroids lead to retarded endometrial secretion, failure of spiral arterioles to develop, and a weak decidua-like stromal transformation. Contraceptive steroids occasionally produce polypoid lesions of the endocervix with atypical microglandular hyperplasia. There are conflicting reports about the effects of contraceptive steroids on the squamous epithelium of the exocervix, but they neither protect against cancer nor cause it in the usually accepted sense. Uterine leiomyomas may exhibit increased cellularity and bizarre, hyperchromatic nuclei or mutinucleation in women receiving contraceptive steroids. Both polyethylene and metal-containing intrauterine devices may initiate inflammatory responses in the endometrium varying from mild to severe, related to the time the device has been in contact with the mucosa. Salpingitis and ectopic pregnancy are increased in frequency in device users.
The authors identified a degenerated, focally calcified cestode larva (cysticercus) in the fallopian tube of a 50-year-old woman with endometriosis. The physiologic reaction to the larva was minimal, with some focal granulomatous salpingitis. No other focus of infection was detected. The differential diagnosis included trophoblastic tissue, foreign material, and parasites. Scanning electron microscopy and x-ray microanalysis of the organism revealed concentration of iodine in the subcuticular connective tissue of the larva and confirmed the calcium phosphate composition of the calcareous corpuscles. The presumed source of the iodine was the continued exposure of the larva to an environment rich in iodide secreted by the epithelium of the fallopian tube.
The use of intrauterine devices (IUD) in 690 patients admitted to hospital for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID or acute salpingitis) was compared with the use in a sexually active age-matched control group. 220 (31.9%) of the patients and 114 (16.5%) of the controls were using an IUD. Thus, the risk of PID was raised twofold by IUD use. No significant difference was found between the women who had never been pregnant and those who had in the two groups. Neither was the risk of PID found to vary with age.
Many injuries can result from water skiing accidents, but the water skiing "douche" is unique to this sport. Although generally causing only discomfort, significant trauma can result from the forceful entry of water into the various body orifices. A case of otitis media attributed to this phenomenon is described. The hazards of vaginal and rectal laceration, salpingitis, tubo-ovarian abscess with resultant infertility, induced abortion, and associated complications are reviewed. In addition to sinusitis, otitis media and tympanic membrane rupture, other potential upper airway and auditory complications are enumerated.
Eight retarded teenage girls are presented whose cases highlight some of the considerations in pregnancy prevention for this population. Their mean age was 15.8 years, and 7 were considered to be educable (IQ 50-70) and 1 of borderline intelligence. Presenting complaints included pregnancy, sexual molestation, salpingitis, and a request for contraception in 2 patients each. Pelvic examination with no anesthesia was accomplished after multiple educational sessions in 7 patients. Contraceptive choices included an intrauterine device (2 patients), postcoital estrogen (1 patient), abstinence (1 patient), no contraception (2 patients). Of the 2 pregnant teenagers, 1 elected to continue and 1 to terminate. Unique considerations were the need for current information about consent, alternatives to sterilization, specific risks of contraception for the retarded with medical problems, and communication skills for eliciting sexual information and attitudes. The 8 patients presented reflect the special features posed by the interaction of adolescence, sexuality, and retardation.