Hysterosalpingography for Diagnosing Tubal Patency in Infertile Women

Abstract

Objective: Tubal obstruction is one of the most common causes of female infertility. While laparoscopy (LS) is the gold standart method for assessing the patency of the tubes, hysterosalpingography (HSG) is widely used as a first-line approach in infertility work-up. The aim of this study was to compare HSG and LS in assessment of tubal patency. Materials and Methods:Patients who underwent HSG, followed by LS for primary and secondary infertility between January 2015 and June 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The laparoscopic findings were accepted as reference standard to calculate the diagnostic accuracy of HSG for tubal patency.Results: A total of 67 patients were included into the analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of HSG for bilateral tubal patency were 82%, 75%, 91% and 57%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of HSG for bilateral tubal obstruction were 62%, 93%, 55% and 94%, respectively. Conclusion:Our findings showed that HSG has high validity, on predicting tubal patency in particular. Laparoscopy should be used in patients with HSG showing nonpatency.