A clinical syndrome resulting from the ascending spread of microorganisms
from the vagina and endocervix to the endometrium, fallopian tubes, and/or contiguous
structures. All of the following clinical criteria must be present:
Abdominal direct tenderness
Tenderness with motion of the cervix
Adnexal tenderness
In addition to all of the above criteria, at least one of the
following findings must also be present:
Meets the surveillance case definition of Chlamydia trachomatis
infection or gonorrhea
Temperature greater than 38 C
Leukocytosis greater than 10,000 WBC/mm3
Purulent material in the peritoneal cavity obtained by culdocentesis
or laparoscopy
Pelvic abscess or inflammatory complex on bimanual examination
or by sonography
Patient is a sexual contact of a person known to have gonorrhea,
chlamydia, or nongonococcal urethritis
Case classification
Confirmed: a case that meets the
clinical case definition
Comment
For reporting purposes, a clinician's report of pelvic inflammatory
disease should be counted as a case.