Distal tuboplasty: is it appropriate?

We retrospectively analyzed the results of distal tuboplasty (fimbrioplasty, salpingostomy, and salpingoneostomy) in 64 patients who had 70 operations from 1974 to 1984. The postoperative pregnancy rate was 19%, and the ectopic pregnancy rate 21%. It is difficult to compare results obtained in this study with those reported in previous studies. The average term pregnancy rate for those studies was 21%, with an ectopic pregnancy rate of 5.7%. The appropriateness of distal tuboplasty has been questioned because of the low rate of success of the procedure and the increasing rate of success of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Because of the current economic burden and technical difficulties associated with IVF, distal tuboplasty appears to remain an appropriate operation.