Perihepatic adhesions: not necessarily pathognomonic of pelvic infection

Perihepatic adhesions are often considered to be associated with pelvic inflammatory disease and subsequent infertility. Seventeen patients out of 100 undergoing elective laparoscopic sterilization had evidence of perihepatic adhesions. Four of the 17 showed evidence of old pelvic inflammatory disease, but only two gave a history of sexually transmitted disease. All patients had a negative gonorrhea culture and 50 also had a negative chlamydia culture before the procedure. These data suggest that perihepatic adhesions may be observed in otherwise normal fertile women, and its presence does not necessarily imply pelvic inflammatory disease or poor fertility.