Current management of tubal infertility: from hysterosalpingography to ultrasonography and surgery

RATIONALE The development of IVF techniques has diminished the importance of tubal infertility but recent discoveries shed a new light on reproductive tubal surgery prior to any IVF cycle. OBJECTIVE To adapt current state of the art recommendations concerning tubal factor infertility to actual possibilities in Romanian healthcare system and to grow the awareness of fellow fertility specialists and general practitioners to the improved outcomes of novel management and treatment modalities. METHODS AND RESULTS 67 free full text articles centered on the subject of management in tubal infertility were identified in international databases. Four articles described general diagnosis using data from medical history, 21 works approached the diagnosis through hysterosalpingography, 14 papers introduced the use of different sonographic procedures, 8 files analyzed the importance of exploratory laparoscopy and 20 articles reviewed different treatment modalities. DISCUSSIONS Current data show that active implementation of the large scale use of tubal surgery prior to any IVF cycle will reduce up to 30% the costs associated with obtaining a viable pregnancy in cases with tubal factor sterility.