Doppler ultrasound studies in pelvic inflammatory disease

Ten women with tubo-ovarian abscess caused by pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) were investigated by transvaginal Doppler ultrasound during the acute and healing phases of the infection. The pulsatility index (PI) of the uterine arteries was measured and compared with the values obtained from 19 healthy women. Each control patient was investigated three times during a single menstrual cycle. In PID patients, the PI values were significantly lower than in controls in the same phase of the menstrual cycle. When C-reactive protein was > 50, the PI values were lowest and reverted to normal values when the infection subsided. In a case of chronic infection, the PI did not rise to normal despite normal infection parameters. Doppler ultrasound seems to offer a new method of assessing PID.