Comparison of severe pelvic inflammatory disease, pyosalpinx and tubo‐ovarian abscess

Aim 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 . Material and Methods We retrospectively evaluated 458 female patients who were admitted to H allym U niversity K ang D ong S acred H eart H ospital for a clinical diagnosis of PID from 1 J anuary 2007 to 30 A pril 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 .