A case of a postmenopausal ruptured pyosalpinx. A rare finding at laparotomy for an acute abdomen

A case is described of an 84-yr-old woman with a ruptured tubo-ovarian abscess. This condition, which is rare in postmenopausal women, is usually diagnosed during laparotomy. Neither the medical history, nor the physical examination, nor the laboratory examination gives specific clues concerning the right diagnosis. The treatment is primarily a surgical one and consists principally of an abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy.