Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome
- extrapelvic manifestation of PID.
- associated with right upper quadrant pain that likely results from inflammation
of the liver capsule and diaphragm.
- Previously, Neisseria
gonorrhoeae was thought to be the main causative agent.
- However, recent studies have shown that cases of FHC due to
Chlamydia trachomatis infection
outnumber those due to N gonorrhoeae infection by almost 5 to 1.
- The spread of bacteria from the pelvis to the liver capsule likely results
from the circulation of abdominal fluid over the right paracolic gutter to the
subphrenic space and hepatic surface.
- However, lymphatic and hematogenous spread have not been excluded, and
these probably play a role in the dissemination of the disease.
- Although it typically is associated with acute salpingitis, it can exist
without signs of acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). In that respect, FHC
syndrome can mimic other abdominal emergencies and often is a diagnosis of
exclusion.
Fitz-Hugh-Curtis Syndrome
Last Updated: October 16, 2002
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic797.htm