Nd:YAG laser therapy for infertility with a contact-type probe

Laparoscopic Nd:YAG laser surgery for tubal adhesiolysis, hydrosalpinx and other disorders is an effective treatment for female infertility that causes relatively little tissue damage. In initial studies using contact-type probes, the 0.4-mm-diameter probe and 10 mm/sec incision speed were found to cause less tissue degeneration than did other combinations (P less than .05). Fifteen infertile women were treated at laparoscopy with a Nd:YAG laser; one of six with hydrosalpinx achieved pregnancy after salpingostomy using a contact-type probe, two of three with tubal adhesions achieved pregnancy after adhesiolysis with the Nd:YAG laser, and three of six with polycystic ovaries achieved pregnancy after wedge resection using a contact-type probe. Five of fifteen infertile women conceived after Nd:YAG laser surgery with a contact-type probe under laparoscopy. We confirmed that contact irradiation with a ceramic incising probe is capable of creating an adequate incision at low power levels and that laparoscopic Nd:YAG laser surgery for infertile women is an effective treatment.