Sonohysterosalpingography: Comparison of foam and saline solution.

PURPOSE: To compare sonohysterosalpingography (sono-HSG) with foam instillation (HyFoSy) versus saline solution (HyCoSy) in the evaluation of tubal patency. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 37 infertile women, scheduled for laparoscopy. The women were randomized into two groups: HyFoSy (group I) and HyCoSy (group II). The patients of both groups underwent laparoscopy with dye test. We assessed the diagnostic performance (sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy) of HyFoSy and HyCoSy, compared with laparoscopy and dye test, in the assessment of tubal patency. RESULTS: Sono-HSG findings in tubal patency assessment obtained in the HyFoSy group were concordant with laparoscopic results in 94.4% of cases, with a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 100%, whereas in the HyCoSy group, concordance occurred in only 57.8% of examinations, with a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 66.6%. CONCLUSIONS: HyFoSy allows a more accurate diagnosis of tubal patency compared with HyCoSy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:67-71, 2017.

Adenomyosis: What the Patient Needs.

A panel of experts in the field of endometriosis expressed their opinions on management options in a 28-year-old patient, attempting pregnancy for 1 year, with severe cyclic pelvic pain and with clinical examination and imaging techniques suggestive of adenomyosis. Many questions this paradigmatic patient may pose to the clinician are addressed, and all clinical scenarios are discussed. A decision algorithm derived from this discussion is also proposed.

Impaired uterine artery flow associated with the presence of ovarian endometrioma: preliminary results of a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Aim of this prospective, case-control study was to evaluate uterine arteries' blood flow before and after laparoscopic surgery in patients with ovarian endometriosis and its possible correlation with infertility. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 110 women of reproductive age; 69 with ovarian endometriomas and scheduled for surgery, and 41 controls. At enrolment, a detailed medical, gynecologic and obstetric history was collected. Fertility and pregnancy desire were assessed. All patients underwent complete physical and gynecologic examination. Transvaginal ultrasound with Doppler color flow was performed to evaluate Resistance Index (RI) of uterine arteries during the secretory phase, at enrolment (T0) and 3 months after laparoscopic surgery (T1). RESULTS: Among cases, 27 patients were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. At enrolment (T0) unilateral or bilateral flow alterations (RI ≥ 0.8) were found in 38 out of 42 patients with ovarian endometriosis (90%), whereas in the control group only 17 women (41%) had Doppler alterations. The difference in uterine artery RI values between cases and controls was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). A statistically significant improvement in uterine artery flow (P <0.0001) was found 3 months after surgical treatment of endometriosis. Nineteen patients with endometriosis (45%) were infertile before surgery; all of them presented uterine artery Doppler alterations at T0. After surgery the pregnancy rate was significantly higher in patients who presented uterine artery flow normalization than in those with persistent uterine artery flow alterations (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: A strong correlation was found between uterine artery flow abnormalities and ovarian endometriosis. Uterine artery flow improvement following surgery seems to increase the probabilities of achieving pregnancy.