Treatment of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease with microwaves (radar)

The basic treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease, except for the use of antibiotics, has undergone but little alteration since 1857, when Bernutz and Goupil first correctly described the pathology of the disease and gave recommendations for therapy.1They suggested treatment by bed rest, laudanum, and the administration of pelvic heat by baths and poultices. At present, diathermy is often employed to produce the pelvic heating, since it is thought to give better penetration of heat than hydrotherapy techniques. After World War II, and the release of previously secret information on radar, microwaves (radar, ultra-high-frequency electromagnetic waves of extremely short length) began to be used instead of conventional diathermy for the treatment of many conditions.2Among the reported advantages of microwave therapy over conventional diathermy are (1) a better ratio of cutaneous to deeper tissue temperatures, (2) better control of the area of application, and (3) absence of the