Tubal abnormalities in Thai infertile females.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of tubal abnormalities among infertile patients attending the clinic at Srinagarind Hospital.


METHODS
A descriptive study


METHODS
Infertility clinic, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.


METHODS
A total of 740 female patients presented at the infertility clinic, Srinagarind Hospital between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2002.


METHODS
A retrospective review of demographic data, baseline infertility information and the results of tubal assesments (including both hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy) were conducted.


METHODS
Prevalence of tubal abnormalities in infertile females being treated in the infertility clinic during the study period.


RESULTS
Among the 740 patients being recruited to the present study, 533 cases (72.03%) were diagnosed with primary infertility while the rest (207 or 27.97%) came to the clinic due to secondary infertility. The mean infertile period of all study subjects was 4.68 years. Regarding the methods used for tubal assessments, hysterosalpingography (HSG), laparoscopy and combination of the two methods were conducted in 556 cases (75.14%), 30 cases (4.05%) and 154 cases (20.81%), respectively. The prevalence of tubal abnormalities demonstrated in the present study was 27.30% (202 from 740 cases). Among the 202 patients with tubal abnormalities, the pathologies detected were cornual occlusion (46.04%), combined tubal abnormalities (30.20%), distal tubal occlusion (8.42%), hydrosalpinx (3.47%), peritubal adhesion (3.96%), and other abnormalities (7.91%). Other pelvic pathologies detected from laparoscopy were endometriosis (61.49%), pelvic adhesion (24.22%), leiomyoma (12.42%), and ovarian cyst (1.87%).


CONCLUSIONS
Tubal abnormalities were detected in over one-fourth of all infertile females being treated at Srinagarind Hospital. Further study investigating the etiologies of these abnormalities is needed since it could be the measure to bring down the occurrence of such conditions.
Sinawat
Supat
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
Pattamadilok
Jeerichuda
J
Seejorn
Kanok
K
D000328:Adult; D005184:Fallopian Tube Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology