Transcervical balloon tuboplasty. A multicenter study

Abstract

Transcervical balloon tuboplasty represents a noninvasive technique to treat proximal tubal occlusion. In a multicenter study, 77 women with confirmed bilateral proximal tubal occlusion underwent the procedure. In 71 patients (92%), at least one proximally obstructed fallopian tube was recanalized. Concomitant distal bilateral tubal occlusions were diagnosed after successful proximal tubal balloon recanalizations in 13 patients (17%). In the remaining 64 patients, 22 clinical pregnancies (34%) have been confirmed during a median follow-up period of 12 months. Among those, 17 (77%) resulted in normal deliveries and five (23%) resulted in a first-trimester miscarriage. One patient was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. Among 25 patients who had not conceived within 6 months of the procedure, 17 (68%) demonstrated continuing tubal patency on repeated hysterosalpingogram. We conclude that transcervical balloon tuboplasty is a safe outpatient technique that may represent an alternative to in vitro fertilization or microsurgical reanastomosis of fallopian tubes.