Perisplenitis and perinephritis in the Curtis-Fitz-Hugh syndrome

Four cases of the Curtis-Fitz-Hugh syndrome diagnosed laparoscopically and with microbiological or serological evidence of chlamydial pelvic infection are reviewed. The case histories emphasize the part played by renal angle and left upper quadrant symptoms. In one patient the surface of the spleen was affected by the same classical inflammation normally seen on the surface of the liver. In 3 patients bilateral or left-sided renal angle pain and tenderness constituted the presenting features, or a major manifestation, and in all patients renal tract investigations were entirely normal. The patient with laparoscopic perisplenitis also had perihepatitis and pelvic inflammation, the latter being florid in all cases. Perisplenitis and perinephritis are proposed as possible additional manifestations of this syndrome.