Colour Doppler hysterosalpingosonography: a simple and potentially useful method to evaluate fallopian tubal patency

The diagnostic efficacy of colour Doppler hysterosalpingosonography to evaluate Fallopian tubal patency was studied in 17 women. Of the 17 women, 12 were infertile and the remaining five were fertile and requested elective tubal ligation. Colour Doppler sonography was performed using the transabdominal approach 1-4 weeks after diagnostic laparoscopy during infertility work-up in the former, and 1-2 weeks after bilateral isthmic tubal ligation in the latter group. Sterile saline was used as the contrast agent. Laparoscopic chromopertubation was considered as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity of colour Doppler sonography were found to be 93 and 83%, respectively. A kappa value of 0.73 reflected good clinical agreement between the two techniques. Colour Doppler hysterosalpingosonography is concluded to be a relatively accurate and simple procedure to test tubal patency. The other advantages include absence of radiation and avoidance of potential allergic reactions to iodinated contrast agents employed for hysterosalpingography. However, the inability to delineate the inner architecture of the genital canal and to determine the exact location of tubal obstruction, when present, remain the disadvantages of this technique.