Evaluation of uterine cavity by sonohysterography in women scheduled for intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Abstract

A prospective study was performed to determine the feasibility of evaluating the uterine cavity by sonohysterography (SHG) in women who were scheduled for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) due to severe male factor infertility and who had not had a previous hysterosalpingography (HSG). Sonohysterography was performed in 80 women scheduled for ICSI. A subsequent hysteroscopy was undertaken in patients with intracavitary lesions. The outcome of ICSI for the women undergoing SHG was compared with that of 240 cycles performed (during the same time period) in patients who had a normal HSG before admission to the clinic. There were no complications attributable to the SHG procedure. Hysteroscopy correctly identified all lesions depicted by SHG. SHG and HSG groups were comparable with regard to female age and duration of infertility. Clinical pregnancy rates per transfer were 40.2% and 42.5% in the SHG and HSG groups, respectively. Abortion rates in the two groups were also similar (14.8 and 11.0%, respectively). In conclusion, sonohysterography appears to be a simple, inexpensive, and safe alternative to HSG for evaluation of the uterine cavity in women scheduled for ICSI.