Cephacetrile in the treatment of female pelvic inflammatory disease.

The efficacy and tolerability of cephacetrile administered by the intravenous or intramuscular route was evaluated in an open-label study of 55 hospitalized females diagnosed as having mild to severe pelvic inflammatory disease. Rapid improvement was observed in most patients. All patients were classified as clinically cured or significantly improved. Pain was absent or mild in 86% of the patients who received cephacetrile by intramuscular injection. Seventy-two percent of the patients given the drug intravenously experienced no localized pain. Phlebitis occurred in 6 of the 53 patients (11%) who received intravenous cephacetrile and thrombosis was present in 3 (6%). Rash and puritus was reported in 1 patient. Results of this study suggest that cephacetrile is an important and useful drug in the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease.