[Effects of experimental salpingoplasty on fertility in the rabbit]

The present study was undertaken to determine the functional capacity of oviduct following distal ampullar salpingostomy and tubal anastomosis. In the first experiment using 6 rabbits, the left fimbria of an oviduct and adjoining ampulla were resected, and then the remaining distal ampulla was subjected to cuff salpingostomy. The contralateral oviduct of each rabbit served as a control. Ovulation was induced at 3 weeks after surgery. The mean number of corpora lutea per ovary in the salpingostomy oviduct (5.00 +/- 0.37) did not differ significantly from that observed in the control oviduct (5.17 +/- 0.31). Five of 6 salpingostomy oviducts contained ovulated ova. However, the retrieval rate was significantly (p less than 0.01) reduced in the salpingostomy oviducts (36.7%), as compared to that found in the control oviducts (93.5%). Scanning electron microscopy of the fimbria revealed morphological features of both ciliated and secretory cells that were comparable to those of the contralateral intact fimbria. The second experiment assessed pregnancy outcome following tubal anastomosis in 6 rabbits. Pregnancy was established in both oviducts of all rabbits. The rate of implantation did not differ significantly between anastomosis sides (75.0 +/- 8.9%) and contralateral controls (93.9 +/- 3.9%). The present data demonstrated that fimbriectomized rabbit oviduct can retrieve ovulated ova, albeit less efficiently than normally. However, information that the retrieval rate of ova after salpingostomy is lower than that found in anastomosis also suggests a significant role of fimbria in ovum retrieval.