Acute female pelvic pain: ultrasound evaluation

Ultrasound has become a valuable primary imaging tool in the assessment of acute pelvic pain in women, both for diagnosis and for assessment of complications. Although ultrasound is an established imaging tool for gynecologic diseases, it is also a useful modality for assessing nongynecologic disorders that cause acute pelvic pain, such as diverticulitis and urinary tract calculi. These are important differential diagnoses in women with acute pelvic pain, and sonologists are not always expert in their diagnosis. This article reviews the gamut of conditions that can cause acute pelvic pain in women. The usual gynecologic causes are included, such as ectopic pregnancy, but also considered are conditions such as diverticulitis, appendicitis, and incarcerated hernia, which are important differential considerations.