Diagnosis and treatment of acute salpingitis.

Acute salpingitis is one of the most common acute gynecologic diseases and occurs in approximately 750,000 women each year in the United States. Use of laparoscopy to confirm the diagnosis of acute salpingitis has shown that the signs and symptoms classically ascribed to this disease are not specific to it. Fever, leukocytosis, elevated ESR and adnexal masses or swelling are not necessary to make a diagnosis of acute salpingitis. Lower abdominal pain and adnexal tenderness are the most consistent findings. Microbiologic data obtained by laparoscopy and culdocentesis have raised questions about the role of N. gonorrhoeae in salpingitis and have demonstrated that, as in pelvic infections generally, acute salpingitis is associated with mixed aerobic-anaerobic bacterial flora. Good results in the treatment of acute salpingitis depend upon: (1) early diagnosis, (2) hospitalization and bed rest, (3) the use of antibiotic therapy that takes into account the polymicrobial etiology of acute salpingitis, (4) prevention of recurrent episodes of salpingitis through efforts at patient education and identification and treatment of sexual partners. Most important, we must remember that what is at stake is often the future reproductive potential of a young woman. It must be weighed against both patient and physician convenience and cost. Further investigative efforts are essential to determine the role of IUDs in pelvic infections, discover the true microbiologic etiology of salpingitis and establish appropriate antimicrobial treatment as determined by prospective, microbiologically controlled investigations.     

Pelvic inflammatory disease after tubal sterilization: a review

Exceptions ot the common notion that tubal occlusion protects from recurrent pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) do exist. Since 1975, 71 cases of salpingitis and 38 tubo-ovarian abscesses (TOA) in sterilized women have been published. The majority of cases of salpingitis after previous tubal occlusion (SPOT) developed more than a year after either laparoscopic or laparotomy sterilization procedures. For tubo-ovarian abscess after previous tubal occlusion (TOAPOT), this time interval ranged from several weeks to almost two decades. Most cases of salpingitis showed inflammation of both tubal segments. When only one segment was involved, it was generally the proximal segment. The appearance of the TOAPOT at the time of surgery was typical to TOA. The symptoms of salpingitis were not different from symptoms in any other case of PID, and those associated with TOAPOT were typical of TOA. Laboratory findings included leucocytosis and growth of Neisseria gonorrohoea and Chlamydia trachomatis from the cervix, the infected tube, and the peritoneal fluid. Pus cultures obtained from cases of TOAPOT grew mixed or single organisms. Detailed histopathologic studies in tubal specimens after the failure of an occlusion procedure are available from cases with no infection. They have demonstrated distortion, loss of musculature, and loss of lumen configuration, all of which may have been the result of compromised blood supply to the tube. These findings may be extrapolated to cases of SPOT and TOAPOT, assuming similar changes may be present before the development of infection. The mechanisms by which infection may develop in previously occluded tubes are divided into three groups: The first group consists of situations where there is persistence of free passage between the proximal and distal portions of the tube. These include toboperitoneal fistula, spontaneous anastomosis at the occlusion site, recanalization of the occluded site, incomplete tubal occlusion due to a faulty surgical technique or rupture of the weakened tubal wall. The second group consists of infections initiated by the surgical procedure itself, such as introduction of pathogens at surgery, exacerbation of chronic PID, and ascending infection secondary to surgical manipulation. In the third group, the infection is initiated systemically by hematogeneous spread, lymphatic spread, or change in immunologic status.     

Tubal histology in extra-uterine pregnancies

141 patients affected by tubal pregnancy have been treated by total salpingectomy at the Port-Royal university clinic between the 1st January 1977 and the 31st January 1984. Tubal pregnancy occurred in the majority of cases in a pathological Fallopian tube, of which the histological state was unrelated to the clinical observations made at laparotomy. Ampullary pregnancy (88% of cases) is secondary to a pathological ampulla in 94 p. cent of cases. The latter was chronic salpingitis in 92 p. cent of cases. Isthmic pregnancy (12% of cases) appears to us to be secondary to isthmic pathology in all cases, and is generally associated with ampullary lesions. There also chronic salpingitis preponderates, whilst endometriosis is very rare. The great frequency of pre-existing lesions which we have noted explains perfectly the high level of recurrences in situ observed after conservative surgery of the gravid tube.     

Increased inducibility of inflammatory mediators from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of women with salpingitis

To investigate whether immune system activation may contribute to the tissue damage observed in salpingitis, we isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and quantitated production of the monocyte activation products tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1, and interleukin-6. Unstimulated cells from 7 of 20 women with salpingitis spontaneously released tumor necrosis factor at a concentration greater than 2 SD above the mean value produced by cells from 29 healthy donors. Interferon gamma (200 U/ml) further induced production of tumor necrosis factor from mononuclear cells of 11 women with salpingitis. In contrast, production of tumor necrosis factor by each of 23 other patients who lacked laparoscopic or clinical evidence of salpingitis was similar to that of the controls. In a subset of women whose cells were tested for production of other monokines, three of nine women with salpingitis spontaneously released interleukin-1 but none of the others did so. Four of nine patients with salpingitis also produced interleukin-6, but none of the others did so. None of the monokines were detected in serum from any subject. The results suggest that monocytes from women with salpingitis are primed in vivo and produce inflammatory mediators under conditions where monocytes from other women are poorly responsive. This increased monokine inducibility may contribute to the tubal damage that is the hallmark of salpingitis.     

Ectopic pregnancy and antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis

Ectopic pregnancy is one of the most serious sequelae to acute salpingitis. Chlamydia trachomatis seems to be the most common etiologic agent of acute salpingitis. In the present study, we tested whether women with ectopic pregnancy had serologic evidence of a current or past chlamydial infection. Sixty-five percent of the women with ectopic pregnancy had IgG serum antibodies to C. trachomatis, and 21% of women pregnant in utero had such antibodies. Eleven percent of women with infertile husbands, 42% of women with cervicitis, and 69% of women with salpingitis had IgG serum antibodies to C. trachomatis. In women with ectopic pregnancy, there was a correlation between the occurrence of IgG antibodies and a history of salpingitis or gross evidence of a previous tubal inflammation. We conclude that previous chlamydial salpingitis may be a major etiologic factor leading to ectopic pregnancy.     

The characteristics in hysterosalpingograms in tuberculous salpingitis and endometritis

To summarize, unique and fairly constant topographic characteristics are seen in the hysterosalpingograms in tuberculous salpingitis and endometritis. Their pathogenesis has been speculated. An outline of differential diagnosis of hysterosalpingograms in various diseases has been presented. The presentation does not mean that all cases of tuberculous salpingitis and endometritis would present all the characteristics in their hysterosalpingograms. Never should it carry the idea that tuberculous salpingitis and endometritis be diagnosed by the x-ray pictures alone. It is hoped that the work may be done a little more frequently and extensively so that we can learn more out of it.     

Salpingitis: Overview of etiology and epidemiology

Current views of the etiology of salpingitis are widely divergent, partly because of epidemiologic and clinical differences in various studies. Of all genital pathogens, Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been the best documented as a cause of salpingitis, yet even the role of gonococci in salpingitis has been controversial. The proportion of salpingitis cases attributable to N. gonorrhoeae has been influenced by contraceptive usage patterns and by the racial composition of the population studied. Gonococcal strains also may vary in propensity to cause salpingitis. For example, among white women we have found that Arg^?Hyx^?Ura^? strains accounted for 32 (42%) of 76 isolates associated with salpingitis vs. 38 (72%) of 53 associated with uncomplicated gonorrhea (p = 0.0001). There is little doubt Chlamydia trachomatis also causes salpingitis, although the role of chlamydiae is uncertain in culture-negative patients who have high serum antibody titers against this agent. Other organisms, including facultative pathogens, such as coliforms, Haemophilus influenzae, groups B and D streptococci, and Mycoplasma hominis, and anaerobes, such as peptococci, peptostreptococci, and Bacteroides species, often have been implicated, particularly in recurrent or severe salpingitis or in intrauterine device-associated cases, usually but not always in the absence of gonococcal infection. Comprehensive microbiologic study of tuboperitoneal specimens obtained at laparoscopy or laparotomy must be combined with comprehensive serologic studies in patients with salpingitis who are well characterized clinically and epidemiologically in order to resolve which organisms are involved, in what combination, and in which type of patient.     

Endometritis: the clinical-pathologic syndrome

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate histologically proved endometritis as a clinical syndrome that is distinct from laparoscopically confirmed salpingitis. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of 152 women in an urban hospital with a suspected pelvic inflammatory disease. All women provided a standardized medical history and underwent physical examination, endometrial biopsy, and laparoscopy. We defined endometritis by the presence of plasma cells in endometrial stroma and neutrophils in the endometrial epithelium. RESULTS: Of 152 women who were enrolled, 43 women had neither endometritis nor salpingitis; 26 women had endometritis alone without salpingitis, and 83 women had salpingitis. Those women with endometritis alone more often had douched recently, had a current intrauterine device, and were in menstrual cycle day 1 to 7, compared with women with no endometritis or salpingitis (P =.007,.04,.005, respectively) or women with acute salpingitis (P =.03,.01,.02, respectively). Infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and/or Chlamydia trachomatis was found more frequently in women with endometritis alone than in women with no endometritis or salpingitis (P <.001) and less frequently than in women with salpingitis (P =.05). Lower quadrant, adnexal, cervical motion, rebound tenderness, peritonitis, tenderness score, fever, and laboratory abnormalities that indicated inflammation and detection of gonorrheal or chlamydial infection were significantly less common in women with endometritis alone than in women with salpingitis but were somewhat more common in women with endometritis alone than among women with no salpingitis or endometritis. CONCLUSION: Among women with suspected pelvic inflammatory disease, the histopathologic manifestations of endometritis were associated with clinical manifestations, infection, and specific risk factors that were intermediate in frequency between women with salpingitis and women with neither endometritis nor salpingitis.     

Recurrence of ectopic pregnancy: the role of salpingitis

We evaluated the role of salpingitis on the recurrence of ectopic pregnancy from a historical cohort of 2501 women who had undergone laparoscopic examination for acute salpingitis. We used pregnancy (N = 2899) as the unit of analysis and a modified conditional logistic regression to estimate a pairwise odds ratio as a measure of the recurrence of ectopic pregnancy. Among the second or higher order of pregnancy, the recurrence was 21.7%. For pregnancies with a prior uterine pregnancy, the ectopic pregnancy rate increased with prior salpingitis scores constructed from a combination of prior salpingitis episodes and severity (0 score, 2.7%; 1 to 2 scores, 4.8%; and greater than or equal to 3 scores, 12.1%). For those with a prior ectopic pregnancy, the rate did not increase with prior salpingitis scores (score 0, 20.0%; score 1 or 2, 19.2%; and score greater than or equal to 3, 26.9%). The adjusted pairwise odds ratio was 2.2 and was practically unchanged (2.1) after additional adjustment with prior salpingitis scores. These findings confirm salpingitis as a risk factor for first ectopic pregnancy, but once a woman had an ectopic pregnancy, previous salpingitis might not add any incremental risk.     

In vivo tumor necrosis factor production in women with salpingitis.

Immune mediated mechanisms might contribute to damage of the fallopian tube in instances of salpingitis. Using a filter paper technique to obtain samples during the surgical procedure, we examined fluids from the reproductive tract organs of seven women with salpingitis and five controls, for evidence of tumor necrosis factor (TNF). TNF, produced principally by macrophages, is a substantial mediator of inflammatory responses. In three women culture-positive for Chlamydia trachomatis, TNF was identified only in those fallopian tubes with visual evidence of disease. Fluids obtained from morphologically normal tubes, as well as from the ovaries and uterus, were negative. In three women with negative fallopian tube cultures but visual evidence of salpingitis, TNF was also identified in fluids from damaged, but not from normal, tubes. Ovarian and uterine fluids of the women were also TNF positive. The last patient, also culture-negative, had TNF only in one affected tube. All five patients in the control group had negative findings at all genital tract sites. Only one patient had TNF in her serum. Thus, localized cell-mediated immune system activation, identified by TNF production, appears to be a typical component of salpingitis.     

The frequency of salpingitis and ectopic pregnancy as epidemiologic markers of Chlamydia trachomatis

BACKGROUND: To study the incidence of non-gonococcal salpingitis, gonococcal salpingitis and ectopic pregnancy in a defined population over a 28-year period on the assumption that the frequency of salpingitis and ectopic pregnancy may indirectly illustrate the epidemiological pattern of Chlamydia trachomatis. DESIGN: A retrospective epidemiological study. SETTING: University hospital with an urban catchment area. PATIENTS: Five thousand two hundred and thirty-three patients admitted to the hospital between 1969 and 1996 with a diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, non-gonococcal salpingitis, or gonococcal salpingitis. RESULTS: The frequencies of both non-gonococcal and gonococcal salpingitis increased steeply early in the period under study, rising to a peak in the early 1970s, then decreasing throughout the period except for the last 3 years when a slight increase was seen again. The frequency of ectopic pregnancy showed a steady increase, peaking in the late 1980s and early 1990s and then declining at the end of the study period. While the introduction of more sensitive pregnancy tests and programs for assisted fertility would increase the rate of ectopic frequency the decline during the 'nineties cannot be accounted for in this way. The peak of salpingitis cases in the early 'seventies seems to be mirrored exactly by the peak of ectopic pregnancies fifteen years later in the late 'eighties. CONCLUSION: The frequencies of salpingitis and of ectopic pregnancy can probably be used to estimate the incidence of preceding Chlamydia trachomatis. Thus the incidence of C. trachomatis has probably declined since the early 'seventies like that of N. gonorrheae.     

Laparoscopic and microbiological features of acute salpingitis in developing countries.

One hundred and twenty-four out of 198 consecutive women who underwent diagnostic lasparoscopy for clinical symptoms and signs of acute salpingitis at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria had acute salpingitis. These were slightly younger than those without acute salpingitis, otherwise there were no differences in the sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. Urinary and gastrointestinal symptoms, abnormal vaginal discharge, fever (> 38 degrees C) and sexually transmitted organisms were significantly more in women with acute salpingitis. Ninety-five per cent of the Neisseria gonorrhoea cultured were of the PPNG strain. Pelvic adhesions were present in 69.4% of the women with acute salpingitis. Forty-one per cent of the women had tubal occlusion. It was concluded that laparoscopy rather than clinical findings alone would determine the severity of acute salpingitis. This should be performed along with culture of genital discharges and peritoneal fluid for optimum management. The use of a single dose broad spectrum antibiotics active against both PPNG and non-PPNG strains, and chlamydial infections is advocated for treatment in developing countries.     

The intrauterine contraceptive device and acute salpingitis: a multifactor analysis.

From an indigent population hospitalized with acute salpingitis, 163 patients were compared with 222 control patients from the minor trauma section of the emergency room. Four factors were significantly different between cases and controls: race, type of contraception, number of sex partners, and previous history of salpingitis. A discriminate analysis based on a linear logistic equation demonstrated that each risk factor was independent rather than a reflection of another risk factor. Thus factors associated with race, IUD use, multiple sexual partners, and previous salpingitis increase the risk of salpingitis in the population studied.     

Viable intrauterine pregnancy with acute salpingitis progressing to septic abortion. A case report

BACKGROUND: A viable intrauterine pregnancy with salpingitis has been reported rarely. CASE: A 27-year-old woman at 10 weeks' gestation developed abdominal pain, fever, leukocytosis, peritoneal signs, closed cervix and a viable pregnancy. Progression from acute salpingitis to septic abortion was documented. CONCLUSION: Acute salpingitis in the presence of a viable pregnancy warrants aggressive intervention.     

Clinical utility of CA125 levels in predicting laparoscopically confirmed salpingitis in patients with clinically diagnosed pelvic inflammatory disease.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of serum CA125 determinations in diagnosing acute salpingitis. METHODS: CA125 levels were determined for 34 women with the clinical diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Acute salpingitis was confirmed laparoscopically in 28 women (82.3%). RESULTS: Twenty patients (71.4%) with laparoscopically confirmed acute salpingitis had CA125 levels greater than 7.5 units, compared with no patients (0/6) with laparoscopically normal tubes (P = 0.002). The degree of elevation of CA125 levels correlated with the severity of tubal inflammation noted at laparoscopy. All patients with levels above 16 units had laparoscopically severe salpingitis. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that while CA125 levels above 7.5 units may modestly improve the ability of the clinical diagnosis of PID to accurately reflect visually confirmed acute salpingitis, limitations of the test make its clinical utility questionable.     

Etiology of acute salpingitis: influence of episode number and duration of symptoms

The role of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the etiology and pathogenesis of acute salpingitis and its relationship to nongonococcal salpingitis were investigated. To accomplish this goal, isolated microorganisms obtained from the fallopian tubes and cul-de-sac via laparoscopy were evaluated in relation to the number of episodes of salpingitis, duration of symptoms, and phase of menstrual cycle at infection onset. The incidence of isolation of N gonorrhoeae was inversely proportional to the number of episodes of salpingitis. No isolation of the gonococcus occurred from patients with 3 or more previous episodes of salpingitis. N gonorrhoeae was the most frequent organism recovered within the initial 24 hours of symptoms. Beyond 48 hours, the most frequent isolates were anaerobic bacteria, especially anaerobic cocci. Anaerobic bacteria were also recovered from the fallopian tubes in patients having their initial episode of salpingitis and within 24 hours of onset of symptoms. All fallopian tube isolates of gonococci were recovered within 7 days of the onset of menses.     

Reliability of clinicians versus radiologists for detecting abnormalities on hysterosalpingogram films

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the consistency of the identification of abnormal findings on hysterosalpingogram (HSG) and compare the reliability of clinicians to that of radiologists.DESIGN: Evaluation of reliability of diagnostic test.PATIENT(S): Women undergoing evaluation for infertility.INTEVENTION(S): Retrospective review of 50 HSG films by three reproductive endocrinologists and three radiologists. Each film was reread 30 days later in a blinded fashion.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The consistency of each individual reader, the reliability of detecting specific abnormalities, and the consistency of clinicians compared with radiologists was evaluated with a kappa (K) statistic and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC).RESULT(S): Average intrareader reliability was high for the detection of normal uterus, normal tubes, and tubal obstruction and low for the detection of hydrosalpinx, uterine adhesions, and pelvic adhesions. Inter-reader reliability was high in the detection of normal uterine contour, normal tubal patency, and uterine filling defect and lower for the detection of a hydrosalpinx. The reliability of detecting pelvic adhesion or salpingitis isthmica nodosa was poor.CONCLUSION(S): Intrareader reliability was generally good, especially for the detection of normal findings. Agreement among different readers is lower in detecting rare outcomes such as hydrosalpinx and pelvic adhesion and salpingitis isthmica nodosa. Clinicians more reliably diagnose hydrosalpinx and tubal obstruction, while radiologists more reliably detect the more subtle findings of salpingitis isthmica nodosa or uterine adhesions.     

Penetration of bacteria and spermatozoa into bovine cervical mucus

It has been reported that bacteria may attach to motile spermatozoa, be carried through the cervix and uterus to the fallopian tubes, and cause acute salpingitis. In an attempt to mimic these conditions in vitro, we incubated Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus with motile spermatozoa which then were allowed to migrate through a capillary filled with bovine cervical mucus. After satisfactory sperm migration through the mucus, the capillaries were broken and cultured at different distances from the original insemination site. Mucus fractions in proximity to bacterial inocula grew varying amounts of the pathogens. More distal fractions of mucus columns were generally culture-negative even though they contained motile sperm which had been exposed to bacteria. Migration of spermatozoa exposed to bacteria through bovine cervical mucus did not result in enhanced bacterial penetration.     

High hepatitis B carrier rate among non-Oriental patients with acute salpingitis

Hepatitis B surface antigen screening was performed on non-Oriental patients with the diagnosis of acute salpingitis. Six of 59 (10.17%) had hepatitis B surface antigenemia. We therefore recommend hepatitis B screening for all patients with salpingitis. The detection of covert hepatitis B helps to protect hospital staff and provides important information for the patient. Further, the administration of hepatitis B vaccine may be appropriate for those patients with acute salpingitis who are found to be hepatitis B surface antigen-negative.     

Fimbrial ciliated cells percentage and epithelial height during and after salpingitis

Microbiopsies of 191 fimbriae were obtained from 146 patients undergoing laparotomy for acute salpingitis, or tubal surgery after salpingitis. The biopsies were classified in four groups according to the diagnosis at laparotomy: salpingitis, distal occlusion, peritubal adhesions or tuberculosis. The biopsies belonging to the group of distal occlusion were further classified in four sub-groups according to the extent of the lesions observed during the hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy.Since the crucial role of the ciliated epithelium in the ovum transport has been established, the percentage of ciliated cells and the epithelial height were determined in the groups and compared to those observed in fimbriae obtained from fertile women during an ovulatory cycle. Significant differences were noted in all groups when compared to fertile women.Acute salpingitis provoked a rapid and severe deciliation which recovered 3 months after triantibiotherapy. In the groups of distal occlusion, there was a significant correlation between the rate of deciliation and the extent of lesions. This suggests that deciliation of tubal epithelium is a sequela of salpingitis and that the extent of disease allows a prognosis of the percentage of ciliated cells.