Pelvic inflammatory disease diagnostic criteria

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Seyedmahdi Pahlavani, M.D. [2]

Diagnostic Criteria

The CDC has developed a set of diagnostic criteria for prompt treatment of PID based on clinical manifestations to minimize its sequelae.^[1]


Minimum diagnostic criteria (at least 1 must be present)	Additional diagnostic criteria (at least 1 must be present), increases specificity	Definitive diagnostic criteria
Cervical motion tenderness Uterine tenderness Adnexal Tenderness	Oral temperature >101°F (>38.3°C) Abnormal cervical mucopurulent discharge or cervical friability Presence of abundant numbers of WBC on saline microscopy of vaginal fluid Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate Elevated C-reactive protein Laboratory documentation of cervical infection (N. gonorrhoeae or C. trachomatis)	Endometrial biopsy with histopathological evidence of endometritis Transvaginal ultrasound or MRI showing thickened, fluid-filled tubes with or without free pelvic fluid or tubo-ovarian complex, or doppler studies suggesting pelvic infection (e.g., tubal hyperemia) Laporoscopic findings consistent with PID

The minimum diagnostic criteria are intended to have a high sensitivity with the goal of detecting as many cases of PID as possible.
Additional criteria support the diagnosis of PID with greater specificity, while definitive criteria confirm the diagnosis.^[1]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Workowski KA, Bolan GA (2015). “Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2015”. MMWR Recomm Rep. 64 (RR-03): 1–137. PMID 26042815.

Diagnostic Criteria