Laparoscopy and hysterosalpingography in the assessment of tubal patency

Laparoscopy was performed after hysterosalpingography in 409 patients complaining of infertility. Despite the use of general anesthesia and continuous screening technics during hysterosalpingography, conflicting diagnoses were made in 77 of the 117 patients where an abnormality of patency was detected by one or another technic. Peritubal adhesions were detected by hysterosalpingography in only 18 of the 54 cases where they were demonstrated by laparoscopy. Laparoscopy gave much useful information either at variance with or in addition to that yielded by hysterosalpingography.