Transcervical balloon tuboplasty. A multicenter study.
Transcervical balloon tuboplasty represents a noninvasive technique to treat proximal tubal occlusion. In a multicenter study, 77 women with confirmed bilateral proximal tubal occlusion underwent the procedure. In 71 patients (92%), at least one proximally obstructed fallopian tube was recanalized. Concomitant distal bilateral tubal occlusions were diagnosed after successful proximal tubal balloon recanalizations in 13 patients (17%). In the remaining 64 patients, 22 clinical pregnancies (34%) have been confirmed during a median follow-up period of 12 months. Among those, 17 (77%) resulted in normal deliveries and five (23%) resulted in a first-trimester miscarriage. One patient was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. Among 25 patients who had not conceived within 6 months of the procedure, 17 (68%) demonstrated continuing tubal patency on repeated hysterosalpingogram. We conclude that transcervical balloon tuboplasty is a safe outpatient technique that may represent an alternative to in vitro fertilization or microsurgical reanastomosis of fallopian tubes.
Confino
E
E
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Medical Center, Chicago, Ill.
Tur-Kaspa
I
I
DeCherney
A
A
Corfman
R
R
Coulam
C
C
Robinson
E
E
Haas
G
G
Katz
E
E
Vermesh
M
M
Gleicher
N
N
D000328:Adult; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation; D005184:Fallopian Tube Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D005186:Fallopian Tube Patency Tests; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007047:Hysterosalpingography; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy