[Against the systematic practice of laparoscopy in infertility evaluation]

[Concordance and contributions of hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy in exploration of pelvic and tubal infertility]

Introduction

La coelioscopie et l'hystérosalpingographie sont les deux procédures usuellement admises pour l'exploration tubaire et pelvienne en cas d'infertilité. Les objectifs de ce travail etaient de comparer les données de l'Hystérosalpingographie à celles de la coelioscopie chez des patientes explorées pour infertilité et voir l'apport de l'une par rapport à l'autre.

Méthodes

Etude prospective menée au service C du centre de maternité et de néonatologie de Tunis, s’étendant sur 15 mois, colligeant 120 patientes suivies pour infertilité ayant bénéficié d'une HSG suivie d'une coelioscopie.

Résultats

L’âge moyen de nos patientes était de 35,3 ans. L'infertilité était primaire dans 56,7% des cas et secondaire dans 43,7% des cas. Sa durée moyenne était de 48,9 mois. Le test statistique de concordance Kappa entre les 2 examens était de 0.42 pour les obstructions tubaires en général, de 0.48 pour les obstructions tubaires proximales et de 0.53 pour les obstructions tubaires distales indiquant une concordance modérée dans tous les cas. La coelioscopie a permis d'objectiver en plus une endométriose pelvienne dans 7% des cas, des adhérences pelviennes dans 33% des cas et des trompes perméables mais d'aspect pathologique dans 20% des cas.

Conclusion

Il existe un intérêt d′associer, chaque fois que c′est possible, l'HSG et la coelioscopie dans l'exploration du pelvis féminin dans le cadre de l'infertilité. Aucun de ces deux examens n'est parfait. Leurs résultats sont complémentaires.

[Interest of laparoscopy in infertile couple with normal hysterosalpingography]

OBJECTIVES

The diagnostic laparoscopy has long been the key consideration in the export of female infertility. This place is being reconsidered, especially in the case of normal hysterosalpingogrophy (HSG), because of the advent of assisted reproductive technologies which are more efficient, and because of the improvement of medical imaging techniques which are more sensitive and specific. We wanted to clarify the place of the diagnostic laparoscopy in the balance of female infertility in normal HSG.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

It is a retrospective study on a series of 100 observations of infertile patients with a normal HSG and having a diagnostic laparoscopy in the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Farhat Hached hospital in Sousse (Tunisia) from 1st January 1993 to 1st March 2003.

RESULTS

The mean age was 32.3years; the mean duration of infertility was 70.47months. Laparoscopy revealed pelvic abnormalities in 45% of cases, dominated by disease tubo-adhesions (23%), endometriosis was found in 6% of cases. These anomalies are considered major in 23% of cases and minor in 22% of cases. Conducting a surgical procedure in the same operating time (adhesiolysis, tubal plastic surgery, electrocoagulation of endometriosis implants) could improve the prognosis of fertility. Only 20 patients were followed among the 45 with pelvic abnormalities, seven pregnancies have been completed (35% of cases).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Laparoscopy has improved the prognosis for the fertility of our patients by treating abnormalities involved in infertility. It is estimated that the prognosis can be improved by selecting patients with risk factors for pelvic abnormalities.

[Results of gynecologic laparoscopy in the Central University Hospital (CHU) of Dakar: prospective series of 128 cases]

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the results of, and to evaluate, gynaecologic laparoscopy in Dakar Teaching Hospital.

METHODS

This exploratory and descriptive study deals with a continuous series of 128 gynaecologic laparoscopies carried out between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009. In each operative case, sociodemographic and clinical parameters,operative data, and outcomes were studied.

RESULTS

Laparoscopies represented 14.37% of the programmed operative activities. The average age of the patients was 32 years,and the average parity was 1.2. The interventions were most frequently undertaken because of infertility (78.9%). A history of pelvic infections was found in 39.8% of the cases. The most frequent pathologies were tubal anomalies (70% of infertility cases) followed by ovarian cysts (10.1%) and endometriosis. The operative interventions included adhesiolysis in 35.1% of cases,and tubal surgery in 30.4%. A conversion, necessary in 7% of cases, was necessitated by the extent of adhesions (3 cases),the treatment of an associated pathology (4 cases), or a technical difficulty (2 cases).The main complications were vascular wounds and uterine perforations. The average operating times for diagnostic and operative laparoscopies were 56 minutes and 107 minutes,respectively. Outcomes were simple in 91.8% of cases. During the immediate postoperative period, a death occurred due to an acute pneumopathy. The average length of hospital stay was 3 days. We observed a pregnancy rate of 4.6%. Assisted reproduction was indicated in 28.7% of infertility cases.

CONCLUSION

Given its many advantages, diagnostic and operative laparoscopy must be integrated and developed by gynaecology departments in developing countries. This necessity is emphasized by the prevalence of tubal infertility of infectious origins, which, if diagnosed and treated early by laparoscopy,could have a better prognosis.

Infertility and chylous ascites? A case report

INTRODUCTION

Chylous ascites is defined by an accumulation of chylous fluid in the peritoneal cavity and it clinically appears as a milky fluid in which laboratory examination reveals triglycerides, cholesterol, and sometimes chylomicrons and lymphocytes.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We report the first case of primary chylous ascites observed during laparoscopy for unexplained secondary infertility.

DISCUSSION

Chylous ascites has never been linked to fertility but bathes all internal reproductive organs surfaces and is considered a communication mean between ovaries.

CONCLUSION

Despite a lack of evidence, the question of peritoneal fluid role remains in infertility.