TRANSVAGINAL SONOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF TH E UTERINE CAVITY AND THE FALLOPIAN-TUBES WITH ECHO-ENHANCING AGENTS

Citation
P. Schwarzler et al., TRANSVAGINAL SONOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF TH E UTERINE CAVITY AND THE FALLOPIAN-TUBES WITH ECHO-ENHANCING AGENTS, Ultraschall in der Medizin, 18(1), 1997, pp. 8-13
Citations number
41
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging",Acoustics
Journal title
ISSN journal
01724614
Volume
18
Issue
1
Year of publication
1997
Pages
8 - 13
Database
ISI
SICI code
0172-4614(1997)18:1<8:TSAOTE>2.0.ZU;2-D
Abstract
Aim: The recent development of hysterocontrastsonography (HyCoSy) for assessing tubal patency may provide an alternative to current methods, which are either invasive (laparoscopy and dye) or involve exposure t o radiation and require a radiology department (hysterosalpingography) . Method: Following the introduction of an intrauterine ballon cathete r, the contrast agent (Echovist(R)) is slowly injected into the cavity and tracked using ultrasound as it passes through the tubes. The tech nique is well tolerated as an outpatient method, and takes about 15 to 20 minutes to perform. Results: In a clinical trial with infertile wo men we compared the results of HyCoSy to laparoscopy and dye. In 90 ou t of 108 tubes investigated the results agreed - equivalent to a sensi tivity of 88% and a specificity of 82%. Three false negative findings on the one hand and 15 false positive findings on I-he other represent a negative predictive value of 96% and a positive predictive value of 58%. In approximately 50% of patients, this outpatient procedure caus ed little or no pain, and in 40%, moderate pain. Only a small part of the investigated group (8%) complained about serious discomfort; in tw o cases (3%) the procedure was discontinued because of pain. Conclusio n: HyCoSy is a reliable and simple method to provide preliminary infor mation about tubal patency. It may be carried out at an early stage of the algorithm to investigate the infertile couple, and may so lead to more rapid and efficient treatment.