Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-20-2023

Publication Title

Cureus

Keywords

e. coli, obstetrics and gynecology, bacteremia, postoperative complications, hysteroscopy, reproductive tract infections, pelvic infections

ISSN

2168-8184

Volume

15

Issue/No.

9

First Page

e45618

Abstract

Hysteroscopies are commonly performed in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. Current research suggests a low rate of all types of complications following hysteroscopies. The rate of infectious complications has been reported as exceptionally low. We present a case of tubo-ovarian abscess with Escherichia coli bacteremia and eventual abscess rupture in a 51-year-old gravida 3, para 2012 (G3P2) woman who underwent a hysteroscopy with concurrent polypectomy. The patient had no risk factors that have historically been attributed to the development of post-hysteroscopy infection, such as a history of pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis. The patient also had no known intra-operational complications that might predispose her to infection. Further, the patient’s clinical presentation was significantly atypical. Despite having E. coli bacteremia on admission, severe abdominal pain, lack of an adequate response to several days of intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics, and eventually evidence of abscess rupture, the patient never met clinical criteria for sepsis, including a lack of leukocytosis. This case demonstrates a rare presentation of a rare complication and emphasizes the necessity of clinical vigilance in diagnosing and promptly treating gynecological infectious complications.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.7759/cureus.45618

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