A scintigraphic method of examining the patency of oviducts using 133Xe

Described below is the radioisotope method of examining the patency of oviducts using a solution of 133Xe. Scintigraphic pictures of the uterine cavity and oviducts were obtained with a Jumbo Toshiba gamma-camera; they were subsequently analysed by an Informatek SIMIS-3 data processing system. A total of 30 women aged between 20 and 36 with primary or secondary infertility were examined. The patency of oviducts and the shape of the uterine cavity was assessed on the basis of: the overall picture of the activity of 133Xe in the uterine cavity and oviducts, the isocontours of the overall picture, curves of increasing and decreasing activity in the fallopian tubes, and the spatial picture of activity distribution in the uterus and fallopian tubes. The results of the examinations corresponded in all cases with the diagnosis made on the basis of hysterosalpingography. An advantage of the isotope method of examining the patency of fallopian tubes and the shape of the uterine cavity is the fact that it is an examination of a dynamic nature, completely safe for the patient and exposes the patients to a considerably lower dose of irradiation than during hysterosalpingography.