[Comparison of fertiloscopy versus laparoscopy in the exploration of the infertility: analysis of the literature]

Fertiloscopy in women with unexplained infertility: Long-term cumulative pregnancy rate

OBJECTIVE

Fertiloscopy is as safe as laparoscopy in literature, but we don't know its relevance in women with unexplained infertility (UI). Our objective was to assess the effects of fertiloscopy procedures on the outcomes of subsequent pregnancy occurrences in patients with UI.

METHODS

Retrospective, single-center study of all patients followed up after fertiloscopy procedures between 2002 and 2007. The occurrence and outcome of pregnancies were studied in the five years following the procedure.

RESULTS

124 fertiloscopies were performed. Pelvic exploration was considered as sufficient in 83.8% of cases, of which no abnormalities were found in 78.2%. Laparoconversions occurred for 19 patients (16.5%). The pregnancy rate at five years was 76.9%. The mean delay for pregnancy occurrence was 10.7 months (±17).

CONCLUSION

The pregnancy rate in our study is similar to that after laparoscopy. Fertiloscopy, a less intrusive procedure, should be considered as a reliable option for the management of patients with UI.

Ex vivo investigations on the potential of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic tool for reproductive medicine in a bovine model

Routine infertility investigations in the male and female include imaging techniques such as ultrasonography and endoscopy (fertiloscopy). However, these techniques lack the resolution to localize vital sperm or to reveal detailed morphological analysis of the oviduct which is often the cause of infertility in females. Therefore we set out to evaluate the efficiency of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic imaging tool for micron-scale visualization of the male and female genital tract. Using the bovine as a model, the optical features of the Telesto(TM) , Ganymede(TM) (both Thorlabs) and Niris(TM) (Imalux) OCT imaging systems were compared.