Detecting Fallopian Tube Blockage: The Role of B-Ultrasound in Diagnosis

The fallopian tube is where egg and sperm combine and is the pipeline for transporting fertilized eggs. Its importance is self-evident. And fallopian tube blockage, which many pregnant women suffer from, is an essential reason for female infertility. Because there are no obvious symptoms or discomfort, many women who are married but have not been pregnant cannot find it until they go to the hospital for examination. 

The reason for the fallopian tube blockage is mainly inflammation because it will trigger hypertrophy, stiffness, and adhesion in the fallopian tube. Untimely or incomplete treatment will affect the function of the fallopian tube and the ability to transport sperm and eggs.

Then can B-ultrasound detect fallopian tube blockage?

The principle of B ultrasound, which refers to a B-type ultrasound, is to send a set of ultrasonic waves to the human body, scanning in a certain direction. Based on monitoring the delay time and strength of the echo, it can help to judge the distance and properties of the organ. The electronic devises and computers process the echo of B ultrasound to form the B ultrasound image.

The fallopian tubes are female internal genital organs, a pair of slender and curved muscular tubes, about 10 to 12 cm in length and 5 mm in diameter. They are located on both sides of the uterine fundus, wrapped around the upper edge of the broad ligament of the uterus, and the uterine horns extend to the right and left ovaries, respectively. They are the tubes that transport eggs into the uterus. The normal form of the fallopian tube cannot be visualized under ultrasound. At the same time, a simple tubal blockage cannot be detected by ultrasound without a tubal effusion, tubal tumor, tubal tuberculosis, and other lesions.

Therefore, it is impossible to check whether the fallopian tube is blocked by ultrasound only. For women who have been infertile for a long time, if they want to know whether their fallopian tubes are blocked, they can choose to go to the hospital to do the following examinations:

1. Hydrotubation. Saline is injected from the cervix into the uterine cavity and then flows from the uterine cavity into the fallopian tube. It is mainly based on the amount of resistance generated during the injection of drugs and the reflux to determine whether the fallopian tubes are open or not. This examination uses simple equipment and is inexpensive, but it is all based on the doctor's subjective judgment and cannot determine which part of the blockage is blocked. In addition, if you are overly nervous during the examination, it will cause a tubal spasm, affecting the judgment's accuracy.

2. Felloposcopy. Felloposcopy uses a rigid tubal lens to visualize the structure of the tubal lumen and determine the length and patency of the fallopian tube. Tubal recanalization is required during the examination, which can assist in treating the fallopian tube blockage.

3. Hysterosalpingogram. Iodine is injected into the uterine cavity through the cervical canal and contrasted with the surrounding tissues on X-ray to visualize the lumen of the tubes, which can determine the motor function of the tubes and detect tubal occlusion, as well as the areas of hydrocele and adhesions in the fallopian tubes. This method is simple, fast, and has low risks.

4. Laparoscopy. Meprobamate is injected into the uterine cavity through the uterine catheter and observed through laparoscopy. If the drug passes through the umbilical end of the fallopian tube into the pelvis, the fallopian tube is open. If no fluid is seen passing through the umbilical end of the fallopian tube into the abdominal cavity, the fallopian tube is blocked proximally. 

Laparoscopy is the best way to diagnose tubal obstruction, as it can detect the site of obstruction and the adhesions around the tubes and separate and treat the adhesions. This is the best way to diagnose tubal obstruction. However, general anesthesia is required for this test.

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