The value of sonohysterography in the diagnosis of tubal patency among infertile patients.

BACKGROUND

Tubal pathology is one of the main causes of infertility. In the routine fertility work-up, our ability to evaluate tubal function is limited to tubal patency and peritubal adhesions.

AIMS: To assess the value of sonohysteroography (SHG) in evaluation of tubal patency in infertile patients and to compare its results with hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy. methods: In this prospective study, 40 consecutive women were underwent three methods of exploration of tubal patency: hysterosalpingography, sonohysteroography and laparoscopy with dye test, within a period of 6 months.

RESULTS

The Mean age of our patients was 32 ± 5 years. Of the 40 women who were recruited, 30 had primary and 10 had secondary infertility. Altogether 80 tubes were exanimated by these 3 methods. Sonosalpingography showed patency in 51(63.7%) tubes, hysterosalpingography in 47 (58.7%) tubes, and laparoscopy in 52 (65%) tubes. Sonosalpingography and laparoscopy agreed in 70 out of 80 tubes (concordance, 87.5%). As regards the appearance of the right and left tubes, the results of sonohysterography agreed with laparoscopy in 75% and 87.5%, respectively, while HSG agreed with laparoscopy in 64% and 54% respectively.

CONCLUSION

SHG is useful in the assessment of tubal patency and its implication in the fertility workup as a simple and fast procedure can minimize costes and abus of sophisticated techniques.