Three- or four-dimensional hysterosalpingo contrast sonography for diagnosing tubal patency in infertile females: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the diagnostic value of three-dimensional (3D) or four-dimensional (4D) hysterosalpingo contrast sonography (HyCoSy) for detecting tubal patency in infertile females.


METHODS
A comprehensive search was conducted to identify related research. The pooled results were calculated by diagnostic meta-analysis with bivariate mixed-effects binary regression. Subgroup analyses and publication bias were further performed.


RESULTS
23 studies, including 1153 females with 2259 detected fallopian tubes, were identified. The pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity were 0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90-0.94, I(2) = 36.68] and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89-0.93, I(2) = 38.99), respectively. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95-0.98). No publication bias was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
3D/4D HyCoSy is an accurate test for diagnosing tubal patency in infertile females.


CONCLUSIONS
3D/4D HyCoSy is an accurate test for diagnosing tubal patency in females suffering from infertility, whilst overcoming some main limitations of other methods. 3D/4D HyCoSy is recommended as a fundamental test for female infertility.
Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Yuelong
Y
Wang
Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Linxue
L
Qian
D003287:Contrast Media; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007047:Hysterosalpingography / Q000379:methods; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D003287:Contrast Media