An Audit of the Hystereosalpingographic Defects Seen at a Clinic in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Hysterosalpingography is still commonly used to assess the status of the lumen of female genital tract, especially in developing countries. To audit the indications for and structural defects found on hysterosalpingographs of patients managed in a private hospital. This was retrospective study of 233 hysterosalpingographs done on gynaecological patients seen and evaluated with hysterosalpingogram at private hospital in Enugu, Nigeria over a ten-year period. Information on the patients' demographic data, previous abdominal and pelvic surgeries, indications for hysterosalpingogram, and the status of the cervical, uterine and tubal lumina were abstracted from their clinical notes and radiological reports, and analyzed using simple percentages. The mean age of the participants was 32.9 years and their mean parity was 0.2. The main indication for hysterosalpingogram was infertility (97.5%). Structural defects were seen on the cervix (44.3%), uterus (68.0%), right oviduct (67.0%) and left oviduct (75.3%), the most common being tubal blockage. Seventeen of the participants (7.3%) conceived within six months of the procedure without further treatment. Infertility remains the most common indication for hysterosalpingography. The women are usually of low parity and tubal blockage is the most common defect observed. In addition to its use in patient evaluation, hysterosalpingography has some therapeutic effects as some infertile patients conceived after the procedure without further treatment.