Selective Salpingography
Selective salpingography is a fluoroscopic or hysteroscopic procedure in which a catheter is guided through the cervix and selectively positioned at the tubal ostium of each fallopian tube, allowing contrast dye to be injected into each tube individually to assess patency. Unlike a standard hysterosalpingogram (HSG), which fills both tubes simultaneously from the uterine cavity, selective salpingography isolates each tube to evaluate the proximal segment with greater precision.12
The procedure serves both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Diagnostically, it confirms or refutes proximal tubal obstruction identified on standard HSG, which carries a meaningful false-positive rate for proximal blockage due to tubal spasm during contrast injection. Therapeutically, when a proximal obstruction is confirmed, the catheter can be advanced through the occlusion to recanalize the tube, a procedure known as fallopian tube recanalization. The same session that identifies the obstruction may also resolve it, without surgery.12
This dual function makes selective salpingography particularly relevant in the evaluation of tubal factor infertility. A proximal occlusion that appears on HSG may be confirmed as true obstruction or reclassified as spasm-related artifact. When the occlusion is real, selective salpingography with recanalization offers a minimally invasive restorative option. The transcervical catheterization technique is foundational to this procedure.1
Cited in this entry
- Hilgers TW, Yeung P. Intratubal pressure before and after transcervical catheterization of the fallopian tubes. Fertil Steril. 1999. https://rrmacademy.org/library/intratubal-pressure-before-and-after-transcervical-catheterization-of-the-fallop-rec1fplphsqpn4kaw/
- Thurmond AS, Machan LS, Maubon AJ. A review of selective salpingography and fallopian tube catheterization. Radiographics. 2000. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11112827/
Discussed in
Research library
- Standardization of hysterosalpingography and selective salpingography: a valuable adjunct to simple opacification studies
- Selective salpingography and tubal catheterization in infertile women
- Selective salpingography and fallopian tube recanalization
- Selective salpingography and fluoroscopic transcervical salpingoplasty for diagnosis and treatment of proximal fallopian tube occlusions
- Transcervical selective salpingography: a diagnostic and therapeutic approach to cases of proximal tubal injection failure
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult an RRM clinician or healthcare provider for guidance specific to your situation.