Fallopian Tubes - Check, Patency, Removal

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

The fallopian tubes

The fallopian tubes (fallopian tubes) refer to the internal genital organs in women. They are paired tubes that connect the uterus to the ovary.

The structure of the fallopian tubes

The fallopian tubes depart from the area of the uterine fundus, their free narrow end opens freely into the abdominal cavity. The wall of the fallopian tube is dense and elastic, formed by the outer serous membrane, the middle muscle layer and the inner mucous membrane.

Anatomically, a funnel, ampulla, isthmus and uterine part are isolated in the fallopian tube. The funnel opens into the abdominal cavity, it is formed by long narrow outgrowths in the form of a fringe, which, as it were, covers the ovary. The vibrations of these outgrowths help the egg through the tube to reach the uterine cavity. Violations of their mobility can be the cause of infertility or ectopic pregnancy.

Functions of the fallopian tubes

In the lumen of the fallopian tubes, the fertilization of the egg with a sperm occurs, and then the fertilized egg, with preserved patency of the fallopian tubes, moves into the uterine cavity, where it is attached to its wall. Special cilia also contribute to the promotion. The secret of the epithelium contains substances that promote the onset of fertilization. During movement, division of the zygote begins, and until it enters the uterus for several days, the fallopian tube nourishes and protects it.

If on its way the ovum meets violations of the patency of the fallopian tubes in the form of adhesions, polyps or other adhesions, then it cannot enter the uterus, and is attached to the wall of the fallopian tube. In this case, a tubal pregnancy occurs, which can threaten the woman's life.

Research methods of fallopian tubes

Laparoscopy of the fallopian tubes is usually carried out along the way, during endoscopic interventions on the pelvic organs for another reason, for example, during the removal of adhesions. To conduct a study, two punctures are made in the abdominal wall, an endoscope with a video camera is inserted into one, the image from which is displayed on the monitor screen, and instruments for manipulation are introduced into the other puncture. Laparoscopy of the fallopian tubes is carried out under anesthesia, the manipulation for a woman is painless.

HSG, or hysterosalpingography, allows you to check the fallopian tubes, as well as the state of the endometrium in the uterine cavity, deformities and malformations of the uterus and tubes. The essence of the method is that contrast is introduced into the cervix, which enters the fallopian tubes from the uterine cavity and enters the abdominal cavity with sufficient patency of the fallopian tubes. An x-ray is taken to detect contrast in the abdomen. This method allows you to see the deformation of the pipe, which can also cause obstruction and infertility. In women who are trying to get pregnant, the study is carried out on days 5-9 of the menstrual cycle, with a total cycle duration of 28 days. If pregnancy is not the purpose of the survey, then the GHA can be performed on any day, except for menstruation.

Checking the fallopian tubes using ultrasound is the fastest and safest way to test. However, the accuracy of the study is lower than that of other methods. The study is carried out regardless of the menstrual cycle. Healthy fallopian tubes are barely visible on ultrasound, in order to improve visualization, a test is made with saline solution, which is injected into the cervix, and then it enters the fallopian tubes, which can be traced using ultrasound.

Pathology of the fallopian tubes

Inflammation of the fallopian tubes (salpingitis) is caused by various infectious agents - chlamydia, gonococcus, etc. The provoking factors are various surgical interventions, abortion, menstruation. Symptoms of salpingitis will be pain in the lower abdomen, sharply increasing during intercourse, urinary disorders, purulent discharge from the genital tract, and sometimes an increase in body temperature. In the treatment, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Often the consequences of inflammation are the adhesions in the fallopian tubes, leading to infertility. Severe inflammation sometimes deforms and destroys the tubal tissue so much that it is necessary to resort to removing the fallopian tubes.

Disturbances in the patency of the fallopian tubes due to adhesions, kinks, narrowing can cause ectopic tubal pregnancy. The fertilized egg cannot enter the uterine cavity, and is attached to the wall of the tube. It begins to increase in size and lead to rupture of the fallopian tube. This condition threatens a woman's life and requires emergency assistance in the form of surgical removal of the fallopian tube.

Congenital pathology in the form of the absence or underdevelopment of the fallopian tubes is often combined with underdevelopment of the uterus and ovaries. The main symptom in this case will also be infertility.

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