Tuboplasty refers to a number of surgical operations that attempt to restore patency and functioning of the Fallopian tube(s) so that a pregnancy could be achieved. As tubal infertility is a common cause of infertility, tuboplasties were commonly performed prior to the development of effective in vitro fertilization (IVF). Or repair of any type of tube-like structure, including the Eustachian tube in the head & neck.
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Types
Different types of tuboplasty can be distinguished:.
Techniques
Above surgical procedures are performed through either a laparotomy or laparoscopy approach. Techniques include the use of microsurgery, laser, electrocautery, hydrodissection, mechanical dissection, and use of surgical stents, hoods, adhesions barriers, and more.
Results depend on the underlying pathology and the skill of the surgeon. Pregnancy rates may range from 0-48% (Rock, 1985)
Ectopic pregnancy is a complication after a tuboplasty. It may require a salpingectomy (removal of a tube).
History
Schroder is credited to have performed the first tuboplasty when he created an ampullary cuff and thus reopend an occluded tube in 1884. The first postoperative pregnancy was reported by Martin in 1891, however it aborted. For about a century tuboplastic procedures were the main approach to correct tubal infertility situations. With the development of IVF technology, IVF has increasingly supplanted tuboplasty as a treatment for tubal infertility.