Comparisons of different treatment outcomes in IVF/ET patients with hydrosalpinx: a retrospective study

The outcome of embryo transfer after three different procedures for laparoscopic correction of hydrosalpinx

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effect of three different surgical approaches: simple terminal salpingostomy, bilateral proximal tubal ligation plus terminal salpingostomy, and bilateral salpingectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 292 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for hydrosalpinx and embryo transfer within 2 years postoperatively from January 2018 to August 2021. The patients were divided into three groups: Group A (68 cases) underwent simple terminal salpingostomy, Group B (199 cases) underwent ligation plus terminal salpingostomy, and Group C (25 cases) underwent bilateral salpingectomy.

RESULTS

Age, body mass index, surgical time, intraoperative bleeding, length of hospital stay, and infertility type showed no significant differences among the different surgical groups (P > 0.05), except for the age 30-39 group, which showed statistically significant differences in surgical time (P < 0.001) and length of hospital stay (P < 0.001); the age 40 or above group showed statistically significant differences in intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.008). A total of 336 oocyte retrievals and 451 embryo transfers were successfully performed in the 292 patients within 2 years postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

The choice of surgical approach for hydrosalpinx does not affect pregnancy rates after embryo transfer within the same age group.

Comparison of salpingectomy and tubal occlusion for hydrosalpinx in in-vitro fertilization outcome

The occurrence of hydrosalpinx can reduce the success rate of assisted reproductive technology. The laparoscopic salpingectomy and tubal occlusion have been shown to improve in-vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in this disease. The primary goal of this review was to assess and compare the IVF outcome following salpingectomy or tubal occlusion in the published literature. The authors included studies with at least one of the following outcomes: days of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, retrieved oocyte number, fertilization rates, clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate, or ectopic pregnancy rate. In conclusion, proximal tubal occlusion outperforms salpingectomy in terms of fertilization rate while offering no evident advantages in terms of days of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, retrieved oocytes number, IVF results, or problems in treating hydrosalpinx patients prior to IVF. These data may help clinicians choose the best therapy for patients with hydrosalpinx prior to IVF.