What is a hysterosalpingography examination?
What information can physician obtain from a hysterosalingogram?
How do I prepare for the exam?
What will the equipment used for my exam look like?
How do x-rays produce a picture of my uterus and fallopian tubes?
How is the exam performed?
What effect with the exam have on me during and following the procedure?
When will the results of my exam be available to me?
What are the risks and benefits of the hysteropingogram?
What is a Hysterosalpingography Examination?
This procedure is an x-ray examination of the woman’s uterus and fallopian tibes that uses real time x-rays (fluoroscopy) and a radiographic contrast material. After filling the uterus and fallopian tubes with the contrast, the radiologist is able to view and assess their function.
What information can a physician obtain from a Hysterosalingogram?
Hysterosalpingography is used to examine the uterus and fallopian tubes of women who have difficulty becoming pregnant. The radiologist can assess whether the fallopian tubes are open and if the uterus is a healthy organ.
Specifically, the procedure can be used to determine the reason for repeated miscarriages and to determine the presence and severity of some abnormalities including:
adhesions
tumor masses
scarring
adhesions
Hysterosalpingography can also be used to evaluate the openness of the fallopian tubes, and to follow the effects of tubal surgery to include:
∙ blockage of the fallopian tubes
∙ surgical closure or closure reversal of the fallopian tubes
∙ tubal ligation
∙ re-opening of the fallopian tubes following a sterilization or disease-related blockage
How do I prepare for the exam?
This procedure is best performed one week after your menstruation but before ovulation to make certain that you are not pregnant during the exam.
You should not have this exam if you have an active inflammatory condition. Notify your physician or technologist if you have a chronic pelvic infection or an untreated sexually transmitted disease at the time of the procedure.
Inform your physician of any medications you are taking and if you have allergies, especially to x-ray contrast material. Be sure to inform your physician of any recent illnesses or other medical conditions.
Always inform your radiologist physician or technologist if there is a possibility that you could be pregnant.
What will the equipment used for my exam look like?
The equipment is comprised of a motorized table, a fluoroscope, x-ray tube and video monitor. The table will be hard and flat, so anticipate some discomfort, especially if you have difficulty lying on hard surfaces. All modern x-ray equipment stores images in a large computer data base, so x-ray film is no longer used.
How do x-rays produce a picture of my uterus and fallopian tubes?
X-rays pass through the body and are absorbed by various body tissues depending on the density of the tissue. So, x-rays that reach the digital recording plates (formerly film cassettes) do so in concentrations that correspond to the "shadows" created by the body parts that absorbed the x-rays at different rates. X-ray contrast shows up white when seen in the uterus and fallopian tubes. Therefore, the shadows make a picture of what the anatomy of your body looks like. Example: Bone is dense and absorbs a lot of the x-rays, so bone shows up white on the monitor. Single frame x-rays are made when one burst of x-rays pass through the body and are stored as a static image (similar to a picture you would take with a camera).
Fluoroscopic x-rays employ a continuous dose of x-rays that produce a "real-time" image on the monitor. The advantage of a fluoroscopic exam is that it helps the physician observe the process by which the uterus and fallopian tubes fill (rule our obstructions).
How is the exam performed?
You will be positioned on your back on the x-ray table, with your knees bent and heels resting against supports on the table. A speculum will be inserted into your vagina, your cervix will be cleaned and a catheter will be inserted into the cervix.
The speculum will be removed and you will be placed under the fluoroscope so that the radiologist can view the uterus and fallopian tubes as they fill with x-ray contrast. The radiologist will take some static x-rays during this part of the exam.
A delayed x-ray may be taken later the day of the procedure or occasionally on the day following the procedure.
What effect will the exam have on me during and following the procedure?
You might experience slight cramping when the catheter is inserted into your cervix and when the x-ray contrast is being injected. The discomfort will only last for a very brief period of time. If you experience vaginal spotting for a couple of days following the procedure, do not be alarmed because this is normal.
When will the results of my exam be available to me?
Your hysterosalpingogram exam will be interpreted by a board certified radiologist ( a medical physician with specialty training reading x-rays). The results of the exam will be available to your physician within 24 hours of the exam. Your family physician will notify you of the findings of your exam.
What are the risks and benefits of a hysterosalpingogram?
∙ The procedure is minimally invasive with rare complications
∙ The procedure is a relatively short procedure that can provide information on many
abnormalities that cause infertility or problems carrying a fetus full term.
∙ The injected x-ray contrast can occasionally open clogged fallopian tubes and eliminate
the need for surgery.
∙ The test will help your physician diagnose your condition.
∙ The low radiation dose from this procedure will not harm you.
