TUBAL PATENCY STUDIED BY ULTRASONOGRAPHY - A PILOT-STUDY

Transvaginal hysterosalpingoultrasonography (HSUG) was performed using a uterine cannula and Ringer's solution (Kabi Baxter) as a contrast agent in 14 women consulting for infertility. The results were compared with those of chromopertubation at laparoscopy/laparotomy. With HSUG, the uterine cavity was always well visualized, though it was more difficult to evaluate tubal status. As compared with those of the other methods, HSUG findings manifested total agreement in 50% of cases, total disagreement in 22%, and partial agreement in the remaining 28%. The method was well tolerated by the women studied, and six out of nine women who had previously undergone hysterosalpingography (HSG) found HSUG to cause less discomfort. Thus, the findings suggest that HSUG might prove useful as a means of ascertaining tubal status at an early stage in infertility evaluations.