The prognostic role of salpingoscopy in laparoscopic tubal surgery

The present study was designed to evaluate the prognostic value of salpingoscopy in patients undergoing tubal laparoscopic surgery for infertility due to periadnexal adhesion or distal tubal occlusion. In addition, the clinical value of salpingoscopy was compared with a current classification system of adnexal adhesions and distal tubal occlusion. A total of 51 patients with either adnexal adhesions (24 patients) or hydrosalpinx (27 patients) were prospectively evaluated. Salpingoscopy was performed concomitantly with salpingo-ovariolysis or salpingoneostomy at the time of operative laparoscopy. There was no significant correlation between salpingoscopic classes and the classification system used for both the salpingo-ovariolysis and the salpingoneostomy groups of patients. The patients had a mean follow-up of 33 months. Patients with a normal tubal mucosa (salpingoscopic classes I and II) had a 71% cumulative term pregnancy rate in the salpingo-ovariolysis group and a 64% cumulative term pregnancy rate in the salpingoneostomy group. No intrauterine pregnancies were obtained in patients with intratubal damage (salpingoscopic classes III to V). There was a statistically significant correlation between the occurrence of a term pregnancy and the salpingoscopic classes, but not with the classification system used. These results suggest that patients with tubal infertility should be offered operative laparoscopy with salpingoscopy as the first step of treatment.