Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome: CT findings of three cases

Emerg Radiol. 2008 Jan;15(1):43-6. doi: 10.1007/s10140-007-0635-8. Epub 2007 Jun 21.

Abstract

Clinical manifestations and computed tomography (CT) findings of Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome (FHCS) are relatively well stabilized as right upper quadrant abdominal pain and hepatic capsular enhancement because of perihepatitis associated with pelvic inflammatory disease caused by N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis. We encountered three patients with serial FHCS associated with pelvic inflammatory disease, who visited the emergency room with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Abdominal CT revealed hepatic capsular or pericapsular enhancement along the anterior surface of the liver on the arterial phase. Recently, multi-detector CT has evolved as the first-line imaging modality of acute abdomen at the emergency room; we reemphasized the importance of the CT findings of this syndrome for differential diagnosis of right upper quadrant abdominal pain in sexually active young women. Physicians at the emergency room acknowledge the syndrome and should perform dynamic abdominopelvic CT including the arterial phase.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Pain / diagnostic imaging*
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Hepatitis / complications
  • Hepatitis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Hepatitis / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / complications*
  • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / diagnostic imaging*
  • Syndrome
  • Tissue Adhesions / complications
  • Tissue Adhesions / diagnostic imaging*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*