Hysterosalpingography Overview and its Role in the diagnosis of tubal patency

Abstract

Background: Primary infertility is defined as the inability to conceive within one year of
exposure to unprotected intercourse among women in the child bearing period. Secondary
infertility refers to the inability to conceive following a previous pregnancy. Tube blockage
is one of the most frequent causes of infertility in women. One third of infertility cases are
due to anatomical abnormalities of the female reproductive tract such as tubal blockage.The
degree of tubal pathology determines the possibility for fertility. The evaluation of the
fallopian tube is necessary to determine the management plan of infertility. A number of
diagnostic tests are being used in clinical practice to assess tubal patency as part of the workup for subfertility. The most commonly used tests are hystero salpingo-graphy (HSG) and
laparoscopy. The HSG is a contrast enhanced fluoroscopic and flat plate study used to
evaluate the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes. It has been a test in the workup of infertile
couples as a minimally invasive method of evaluating tubal patency and is performed as the
first line approach for assessing tubal pathology. Whereas laparoscopy is considered the
clinical reference test for diagnosing tubal pathology.