Diagnosis Of Tubal Pathology Research Articles

Diagnostic Hysterolaparoscopy in the Evaluation of Female Factor Infertility: A Cross-sectional Study at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Central India

ABSTRACT Background Infertility is a worldwide problem affecting people of all geographical location and socioeconomic status. It is estimated that globally 60–80 million couples suffer from infertility every year. The main objective of the study is to detect the diagnostic efficacy of hysterolaparoscopy in evaluating the tubal, uterine, ovarian, and pelvic pathologies causing infertility and also compare the findings of a hysterosalpingogram with diagnostic laparoscopy in evaluating the tubal factor infertility. Materials and methods This hospital-based cross-sectional study included an evaluation of 1,456 couples presenting with complaints of infertility at the Outpatient Department of Government Medical College, Nagpur during the period of February 2016 to September 2018. After thorough gynecological examination and investigations, 130 infertile women were posted for diagnostic hysterolaparoscopy. All the data were collected on predesigned proforma and the results were tabulated and raw percentages calculated to describe the results. Results Among the 130 infertile women, 102 women (78.46%) had primary and 28 (21.53%) had secondary infertility. The maximum number of patients belonged to the age group of 26–30 years (39.23%). About 56% of patients were in the active marriage life of 3–5 years duration. Most of them had multiple factors affecting their fertility. Out of the 130 infertile women, 32 patients (24.62%) had uterine factors, 44 patients (33.84%) had peritoneal factors, 67 patients (51.5%) had ovarian factors, and 89 patients (68.46%) had tubal factors. Only eight patients (6.15%) had normal findings in laparoscopy. Out of the 130 patients, 122 (93.84%) had more than one factor causing infertility. About 26.15% of patients had positive findings in diagnostic hysteroscopy. Conclusion Hysterolaparoscopy provides both a panoramic view of the pelvic reproductive anatomy and also a magnified view of the pelvic organs and peritoneal surfaces. It is generally regarded as the most reliable tool in the diagnosis of tubal pathology and other intra-abdominal causes of infertility because of the correctable abnormalities like endometriosis, adnexal adhesions, and septate uterus which are usually missed, are usually identified that helps in formulating a specific plan of management. How to cite this article Selvaraj P, Parpillewar M, Fidvi J. Diagnostic Hysterolaparoscopy in the Evaluation of Female Factor Infertility: A Cross-sectional Study at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Central India. Int J Infertil Fetal Med 2020;11(2):37–41.

Comparison of Hysterosalpingography and Laparoscopy in Diagnosis of Tubal Occlusion

Background: Infertility is one of the most common conditions confronting Gynecologists and tubal factor is one of the most common causes of infertility. Hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy are used as methods for diagnosis of tubal patency in infertility. HSG is an OPD procedure and, for many years has been used as an invaluable procedure for diagnosis of tubal patency and intrauterine pathology in infertility. Laparoscopy is an invasive procedure and is used for evaluation of tuboperitoneal factors. Aims and objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of tubal pathology in infertility in comparison to laparoscopy Methods: 60 patients of infertility were evaluated in the department of Gynecology and obstetrics, Government Lalla Ded Hospital ,Srinagar from April 2013 to August 2014. A prospective cross sectional study was performed. HSG was performed in the pre-ovulatory phase .Laparoscopy was performed under general anesthesia at least three months after HSG in the premenstrual phase. Diagnostic laparoscopy was considered as the reference standard in detecting tubal blockade and findings of hysterosalpingography were compared with laparoscopy. Results: All the patients in the study group were complaining of infertility. The total number of patients in this study was 60 in which 41 were in primary infertility group and 19 were in secondary infertility group. The age of patients was between 21 and 39 years. The average duration of primary infertility was 4.08 years and secondary infertility was 5.15 years. The sensitivity of HSG was 90.91% (95%CI: 76.43-96.86) and specificity was 77.78% (95%CI 59.24-89.39) with positive predictive value of 83.33% (95%CI 68.11-92.13) and negative predictive value of 87.50% (95%CI 69.0- 95.66),when tubal pathology was defined as any form of tubal occlusion detected at laparoscopy, either one sided or two sided. The further advantage of laparoscopy is the possibility of visualization of some other pelvic abnormalities which may be the cause of infertility. In our study, in patients with tubal block, adnexal adhesions were found in 15 (45%), endometriosis in 8(25%) and suspected intratubal block in 10(30%). Conclusion: HSG is the first step diagnostic test for assessment of fallopian tubes. Although laparoscopy is more invasive than HSG, laparoscopy with chromotubation is the gold standard for diagnosis of tubal block, and for identifying periadnexal adhesions and endometriosis and thus to guide appropriate therapy.

Integration of patient characteristics and the results of Chlamydia antibody testing and hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of tubal pathology: an individual patient data meta-analysis

Tubal patency tests are routinely performed in the diagnostic work-up of subfertile patients, but it is unknown whether these diagnostic tests add value beyond the information obtained by medical history taking and findings at physical examination. We used individual patient data meta-analysis to assess this question. We approached authors of primary studies for data sets containing information on patient characteristics and results from tubal patency tests, such as Chlamydia antibody test (CAT), hysterosalpingography (HSG) and laparoscopy. We used logistic regression to create models that predict tubal pathology from medical history and physical examination alone, as well as models in which the results of tubal patency tests are integrated in the patient characteristics model. Laparoscopy was considered to be the reference test. We obtained data from four studies reporting on 4883 women. The duration of subfertility, number of previous pregnancies and a history of previous pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), pelvic surgery or Chlamydia infection qualified for the patient characteristics model. This model showed an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61-0.65]. For any tubal pathology, the addition of HSG significantly improved the predictive performance to an AUC of 0.74 (95% CI 0.73-0.76) (P < 0.001). For bilateral tubal pathology, the addition of both CAT and HSG increased the predictive performance to an AUC of 0.76 (95% CI 0.74-0.79). In the work-up for subfertile couples, the combination of patient characteristics with CAT and HSG results gives the best diagnostic performance for the diagnosis of bilateral tubal pathology.

The Diagnostic Properties of Medical History in the Diagnosis of Tubal Pathology among Subfertile Patients

Objectives. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of medical history in the diagnosis of tubal pathology among subfertile patients. Patients and Methods. Prospective cross-sectional study was performed. Prior to tubal evaluation, medical history data were collected. Sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios (LRs) for predicting tubal pathology as determined by laparoscopy and dye test were calculated for each issue of medical history. Results. 39.6 % (59/149) were diagnosed with tubal pathology. The sensitivity for the different issues ranged between 1.7 and 54.2% and the specificity between 75.6 and 97.8%. The estimated highest value of positive LR is attributed to the history of ectopic pregnancy and lowest of negative LR to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and abdominal surgery. Conclusion. The positive history of PID, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), abdominal and laparoscopic surgery, and ectopic pregnancy are satisfactory screening tests for ruling the tubal pathology in. The negative history of evaluated issues is inappropriate for ruling the tubal damage out.

Individual patient data meta-analysis: a promising approach for evidence synthesis in reproductive medicine

Systematic reviews and accompanying meta-analyses are the cornerstones of evidence-based medicine. Systematic reviews summarize clinical evidence; meta-analyses provide summary estimates of the treatment effect or the diagnostic test accuracy. Although deemed to provide the highest level of evidence, their clinical value is limited as they can only summarize aggregated data. In these meta-analyses the true variability of the treatment effects cannot be explored to the desired extent, because the meta-analyses cannot distinguish between patients with different clinical profiles. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses based on individual patient data (IPD), described as the 'gold standard' for systematic reviews are a promising approach that might overcome these limitations. IPD meta-analyses allow treatment effects and diagnostic accuracy to be estimated at the level of relevant patient subgroups. This enables researchers to investigate the effectiveness of treatment in patients with different profiles. In this article, we address the opportunities of systematic reviews and meta-analyses using IPD in reproductive medicine. We discuss its potential based on three clinical examples: single versus double embryo transfer in IVF, the diagnosis of tubal pathology and the prognostic value of ovarian reserve tests. We propose to show potential advantages of IPD systematic reviews and meta-analyses in providing stratified clinical evidence, which could improve medical care.

P810 The diagnostic value of Chlamydia trachomatis antibody testing in the diagnosis of tubal pathology among infertile patients

P810 The diagnostic value of Chlamydia trachomatis antibody testing in the diagnosis of tubal pathology among infertile patients

The value of medical history taking as risk indicator for tuboperitoneal pathology: a systematic review

Guidelines recommend diagnostic laparoscopy in subfertile women with known co-morbidities in their medical history. Aggregated evidence underpinning these recommendations is, however, currently lacking. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available evidence on the association between items reported during medical history taking and tuboperitoneal pathology. MEDLINE (from 1966 to May 2007), EMBASE (from 1960 to January 2007) and bibliographies of retrieved primary articles. All relevant studies that compared medical history with the presence or absence of tubal pathology. Studies comparing medical history with the presence or absence of tubal pathology were included. A diagnosis of tubal pathology had to be made by hysterosalpingography, laparoscopy or a combination of both. In the absence of invasive tubal testing, tuboperitoneal pathology was considered to be absent in case of intrauterine pregnancy. Homogeneity between studies was assessed, and the association between medical history and tubal pathology was expressed as a common odds ratio with a 95% CI. No language restriction was applied. We included 32 studies. In cohort studies, strong associations were found for a history of complicated appendicitis (OR 7.2, 95% CI 2.2-22.8), pelvic surgery (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.4-9.0) and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6-6.6), and in case-control studies, for a history of complicated appendicitis (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.8-6.3), PID (OR 5.5, 95% CI 2.7-11.0), ectopic pregnancy (OR 16.0, 95% CI 12.5-20.4), endometriosis (OR 5.9, 95% CI 3.2-10.8) and sexually transmitted disease (OR 11.9, 95% CI 4.3-33.3). Subfertile women reporting a history of PID, complicated appendicitis, pelvic surgery, ectopic pregnancy and endometriosis are at increased risk of having tuboperitoneal pathology. In these women, diagnostic laparoscopy should be offered early in the fertility work-up.

The value of hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of tubal pathology among infertile patients

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of tubal pathology among infertile patients. A prospective cross-sectional study in Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital within the period of 18 months was performed. Consecutive infertile women formed the study group according to defined criteria. Hysterosalpingography was performed in the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle. Laparoscopy and dye test was performed within one - three months after hysterosalpingography. General tubal pathology, tubal occlusion, and peritubal adhesions detected at hysterosalpingography were compared with general tubal pathology, tubal occlusion, and peritubal adhesions detected at laparoscopy. The study population comprised 149 infertile women. The sensitivity of 81.4% and specificity of 47.8% the likelihood ratio of a positive test result of 1.6 and a negative test result of 0.4 for hysterosalpingography while evaluating general tubal pathology was determined. Sensitivity of 84.1% and specificity of 59.1% and likelihood ratios of 2.1 and 0.3, respectively, were calculated, when tubal occlusion was defined as any abnormality of tubal patency. When definition of tubal occlusion was limited to two-sided occlusion, the sensitivity and specificity were 89.5% and 90% and likelihood ratios 9.0 and 0.1, respectively. As a test of peritubal adhesions, hysterosalpingography had sensitivity of 35.5% and specificity of 81.3% and likelihood ratios of 1.9 and 0.8, respectively. The diagnostic performance of hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of general tubal pathology and peritubal adhesions is poor. Hysterosalpingography is more accurate in the diagnosis of tubal occlusion.

A comparative study of hysterosalpingography with laparoscopy in the diagnosis of tubal pathology

A comparative study of hysterosalpingography with laparoscopy in the diagnosis of tubal pathology

Measurement of serum CA-125 concentrations does not improve the value of Chlamydia trachomatis antibody in predicting tubal pathology at laparoscopy.

Chlamydia antibody testing (CAT) has been used to predict tubal pathology associated with Chlamydia infection, the leading cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Tubal pathology not related to C. trachomatis is unlikely to be identified by CAT alone. A correlation between serum CA-125 concentrations and the severity of adnexal inflammation during acute PID was demonstrated. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of C. trachomatis infection in an Asian infertile population and to assess the role of a combination of serum CA-125 and CAT in the prediction of tubal pathology as shown by laparoscopy. A total of 110 consecutive women attending an infertility clinic for work-up were recruited. Blood was taken for CAT and CA-125 on the day of hospital admission and an endocervical swab was taken for culture of C. trachomatis prior to laparoscopy. Two (1.8%) women had C. trachomatis found in the endocervix and 28 (25.5%) women had CAT of > or = 1:32. Serum CA-125 concentrations were > 35 IU/ml in 11 (10%) women. The discriminative capacity of CAT in the diagnosis of tubal pathology including both proximal and distal obstruction was not improved by measuring serum CA-125, regardless of the threshold values of serum CA-125 concentration.

Can hysterosalpingocontrast-sonography replace hysterosalpingography in the assessment of tubal subfertility?

Introduction: Hysterosalpingo-contrastsonography (HyCoSy) is a new method for assessing tubal patency using transvaginal ultrasound. It is thought to have several advantages over conventional hysterosalpingography (HSG). We prospectively evaluated the performance of HyCoSy and HSG in the diagnosis of tubal pathology. Methods and patients: One-hundred consecutive subfertile women underwent both HyCoSy and HSG in randomised order. Results of both tests were related to findings at laparoscopy with dye, which was used as the reference test. Each woman was asked to score the pain exsperienced at both procedures on a visual analogue scale. Results: When laparoscopy with dye was used as reference test, the likelihood ratios of HyCoSy were slightly inferior to those obtained for HSG. Since the performance of HyCoSy was dependent on experience, the results were recalculated omitting the 50 initial procedures from the analysis. In that calculation, results of HyCoSy and HSG were comparable. There were no differences in pain experienced during the procedure, as there appeared also to be no differences in patient preferences. Conclusion: There appear to be no strong arguments either to replace HSG by HyCoSy, or to reject the use of HyCoSy. Both procedures can be used in the evaluation of tubal pathology.

The accuracy of serum chlamydial antibodies in the diagnosis of tubal pathology: a meta-analysis

Objective: To assess the discriminative capacity of Chlamydia antibody titers in the diagnosis of tubal pathology in subfertile patients. Design: Meta-analysis of studies comparing Chlamydia antibody titers and laparoscopy for tubal patency and peritubal adhesions. Patients: A total of 2,729 patients with subfertility in 23 studies. Intervention(s): Chlamydia antibody titer and laparoscopy as part of subfertility work-up. Main Outcome Measure: Sensitivity and specificity of Chlamydia antibody titers in the diagnosis of tubal pathology using laparoscopy with chromopertubation as the reference standard. Result(s): The discriminative capacity of Chlamydia antibody titers depended on the type of assay that was used. Summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of studies using ELISA or (micro)immunofluorescence revealed a better discrimination than the summary ROC-curve of studies using immunoperoxidase assay. Conclusion(s): The discriminative capacity of Chlamydia antibody titers by means of ELISA, microimmunofluorescence, or immunofluorescence in the diagnosis of any tubal pathology is comparable to that of hysterosalpingography (HSG) in the diagnosis of tubal occlusion. Chlamydia antibody testing involves little burden but provides no details on the anatomy of uterus and tubes. Whether or not Chlamydia antibody testing can replace HSG depends on the perspective taken in the diagnostic work-up of subfertility.

Reproducibility of the interpretation of hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of tubal pathology.

The aim of the study was to estimate the inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of the interpretation of hysterosalpingography (HSG) in the diagnosis of tubal pathology, and associate reproducibility with diagnostic accuracy. Four observers evaluated 143 HSGs twice, on proximal tubal obstruction, distal tubal obstruction, hydrosalpinx and peritubal adhesions. Diagnostic laparoscopy with chromopertubation was considered to be the reference strategy. Reproducibility (inter- and intra-observer agreement) was expressed in terms of kappa-values. Accuracy was expressed in terms of sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios. kappa-values for reproducibility between observers were almost perfect for proximal obstruction, substantial for distal obstruction and hydrosalpinx, and moderate for adhesions. kappa-values for reproducibility within observers were almost perfect for proximal obstruction and substantial for distal obstruction, hydrosalpinx and adhesions. HSG had a high specificity for proximal obstruction, but a low sensitivity. Distal obstruction, absence of hydrosalpinx and adhesions had a poor accuracy. The likelihood ratio for the presence of hydrosalpinx was high. In conclusion, proximal tubal obstruction detected on HSG changes the pre-test probability of proximal tubal obstruction from 16 to 50%. Proximal tubal patency detected on HSG changes the pre-test probability of proximal tubal patency from 16 to 9%. It is unlikely that a lack of reproducibility of the interpretation of proximal tubal patency is responsible for the low sensitivity; alternative explanations are artefacts occurring while performing HSG or an imperfect reference strategy diagnostic laparoscopy. HSG is of limited use in diagnosing distal tubal obstruction and hydrosalpinx, and has no value in the detection of peritubal adhesions.

The accuracy of hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of tubal pathology: a meta-analysis

To assess the value of hysterosalpingography (HSG) in diagnosing tubal patency and peritubal adhesions using laparoscopy with chromopertubation as the gold standard. Meta-analysis of 20 studies comparing HSG and laparoscopy for tubal patency and peritubal adhesions. Four thousand one hundred seventy-nine patients with infertility in 20 studies. Hysterosalpingography and diagnostic laparoscopy as part of infertility workup. Tubal patency and peritubal adhesions. For tubal patency the reported sensitivity and specificity differed between studies. In a subset of studies that evaluated HSG and laparoscopy independently, a point estimate of 0.65 for sensitivity and 0.83 for specificity was calculated. For peritubal adhesions a summary receiver operating characteristic curve could be estimated. Although HSG is of limited use for detecting tubal patency because of its low sensitivity, its high specificity makes it a useful test for ruling in tubal obstruction. For the evaluation of peritubal adhesions HSG is not reliable.

Salpingoscopy: systematic use in diagnostic laparoscopy

To evaluate the importance of salpingoscopy together with laparoscopy in the diagnosis of tubal pathology. Salpingoscopy was performed as a complementary method in patients who were subjected to diagnostic laparoscopy. The relationship between the salpingoscopy and (1) the patient's previous history of tubal disease and (2) laparoscopic diagnoses was evaluated. Private patients referred to the Instituto de Fertilidad, Buenos Aires. Forty-two patients undergoing a diagnostic laparoscopy during the evaluation of their fertility or as a follow-up of previous therapy. Salpingoscopy was performed, using a colpomicrohysteroscope. We evaluated alterations in major and minor folds and their vascularization, the presence of microadhesions, and cellular nuclei dyed with methylene blue in the tubal lumen. Fifty percent of the patients who had no previous history of tubal disease presented with endosalpingeal alterations, and in 37% of the normal laparoscopies the salpinx had unilateral or bilateral salpingoscopic abnormalities. Salpingoscopy is a useful method to evaluate oviducts, before assuming their normality, and consideration of these women for assisted reproductive technology.