Color Doppler ultrasonography assessment of tubal patency: a comparison study with traditional techniques.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the results of color Doppler ultrasonic hysterosalpingography (color US-HSG) and x-ray-HSG with chromoperturbation at the time of laparoscopy.

DESIGN

Open, uncontrolled study of women seeking evaluation for infertility from August 1989 to July 1991.

SETTING

Clinical environment.

PATIENTS: Two hundred thirty-eight infertile women.

INTERVENTION: Saline was administered transcervically during transvaginal color Doppler sonography in 238 women. Traditional x-ray-HSG was performed in 89 women. Laparoscopy with chromoperturbation was done in 121 women. Forty-nine women had all three procedures performed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The frequency of diagnosis of bilateral tubal patency, bilateral tubal occlusion, and unilateral tubal patency after color US-HSG and x-ray-HSG was compared with chromoperturbation. The diagnostic efficacy of color US-HSG and x-ray-HSG was compared with chromoperturbation.

RESULTS

Correlation between color US-HSG and x-ray findings with chromoperturbation occurred in 81% versus 60% (P = 0.0008) of all women studied. In 49 women who had all three procedures performed, color US-HSG results correlated with chromoperturbation more often than x-ray-HSG (82% versus 57%, P = 0.0152).

CONCLUSION

Color US-HSG is an alternative technique to x-ray-HSG in diagnosing tubal occlusion as a cause of infertility.