Neosalpingostomy for distal tubal obstruction: prognostic factors and impact of surgical technique.

We reviewed the clinical records of all women who underwent microsurgical terminal neosalpingostomy for distal tubal obstruction between January 1983 and June 1988. We identified 95 women whose preoperative evaluation revealed no other contributory factors for infertility and analyzed their pregnancy outcome after this procedure. Pregnancy success was inversely related to the extent of tubal distortion (dilation, rugal integrity, and status of the fimbria) and degree of adnexal adhesions. Using our classification system for distal tubal obstruction, patients with mild disease had an 80% pregnancy rate, whereas patients with moderate and severe disease had a 31% and 16% success rate, respectively. We found no statistically significant difference in pregnancy outcome when we compared this series with our previous group, reported in 1978, where contemporary microsurgical technique was not used. Although we feel that optimal surgical technique is important to maximize success, we conclude that the most important prognostic factor in pregnancy outcome after neosalpingostomy for distal tubal disease is the anatomical and functional integrity of the tube.