Diagnosis and treatment of incomplete occlusion of fallopian tube

Incomplete occlusion of fallopian tube is a common cause for fallopian tubal infertility. However, the spontaneous intrauterine pregnancy rate may be increased after the patients receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Laparoscopy combined with hysteroscopy has been regarded to be a golden standard for diagnosis and treatment of fallopian tubal infertility, but its clinical application has been markedly limited due to its invasiveness and great expense. As the first-line screening technique, hysterosalpingography has been widely used to evaluate the fallopian tube patency. Selective salpingography and fallopian tube recanalization are more superior to hysterosalpingography in diagnosing and treating incomplete occlusion of fallopian tube. Selective salpingography and fallopian tube recanalization can even be on a par with laparoscopy, and moreover, can dynamically observe the fallopian tube function as well. As a safe and economical technique with fewer side-effects, selective salpingography plus fallopian tube recanalization has been more widely employed in clinical practice. (J Intervent Radiol, 2011, 20: 669-672)