Current role of hysterosalpingography in the assessment of female infertility: review of a series of cases
Anguissola, R.; D'Andrea, F.; Firullo, A.; Moro, G.; Pavesi, M.; Di Maggio, E.; Canepari, M.; Campani, R.
La Radiologia Medica 82(3): 303-307
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0033-8362 PMID: 1947266 Document Number: 370071
The authors reviewed 463 hysterosalpingographies from a series of patients examined for primary infertility. 25.5% of them had been studied with echotomography and 4.1% with therapeutic and explorative laparoscopy. Hysterosalpingographic results were compared with positive findings at clinical examination and with various pathologic associations: the method proved to be extremely valuable in the diagnosis of the primary causes of female infertility, and even showed secondary, sometimes unsuspected, causes--e.g., iatrogenic and inflammatory. Moreover, high agreement (50%) was observed with echotomographic findings. The examination was carried out on an outpatient basis, and proved less dangerous and cheaper than other invasive techniques, its cost being more or less the same as that of US, which however is still the least dangerous and expensive method for the diagnosis of female infertility. Therefore, the authors suggest that diagnostic laparotomy be a second choice and be employed only in the cases where it can have therapeutic purposes. In all the extant cases, combined hysterosalpingography and US are still recommended.