Tubal disease: towards a classification.

Tubal disease is a major cause of infertility. The amount of damage can vary greatly in extent, anatomical location and nature. For women with infertility due to tubal disease, prognostication for pregnancy often remains unclear and there is no universally accepted classification. A classification system that reliably distinguishes infertile patients with tubal disease into favourable and unfavourable groups would be useful if subsequent management could depend on this assessment, especially if the classification is able to define which group of patients would benefit most from interventions such as surgery. The progress of IVF questions the contribution of the Fallopian tube to the successful achievement of pregnancy in infertile women. Nonetheless, several studies reveal that severity is the key factor in the determining outcome, and the classifications reviewed in this paper imply that women with tubal disease could be categorized into prognostic groups using a simple classification system based on severity. However, prospective trials are needed to validate and assert the usefulness of any particular classification.