A tuboplasty is a surgical operation to correct a fallopian tube obstruction

Fallopian tube obstruction

Fallopian tube obstruction is a major cause of female infertility. Blocked fallopian tubes are unable to let the ovum and the sperm converge, thus making fertilization impossible. Fallopian Tubes are also known as oviducts, uterine tubes, and salpinges .-Types:About 20% of female infertility can be...

 or adhesion, to achieve a pregnancy in women with tubal infertility

Infertility

Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...

. Thus, it is a form of assisted reproductive technology

Assisted reproductive technology

Assisted reproductive technology is a general term referring to methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. It is reproductive technology used primarily in infertility treatments. Some forms of ART are also used in fertile couples for genetic reasons...

.

Techniques

A number of surgical techniques are performed through either a laparotomy

Laparotomy

A laparotomy is a surgical procedure involving a large incision through the abdominal wall to gain access into the abdominal cavity. It is also known as coeliotomy.- Terminology :...

 or laparoscopy

Laparoscopy

Laparoscopy is an operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis through small incisions with the aid of a camera...

 approach. Techniques include the use of microsurgery

Microsurgery

Microsurgery is a general term for surgery requiring an operating microscope. The most obvious developments have been procedures developed to allow anastomosis of successively smaller blood vessels and nerves which have allowed transfer of tissue from one part of the body to another and...

, laser

Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...

, electrocautery, hydrodissection, mechanical dissection

Dissection

Dissection is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the functions and relationships of its components....

, and use of surgical stents, hoods, adhesions barriers, and more. Results depend on the underlying pathology and the skill of the surgeon. Ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy

An ectopic pregnancy, or eccysis , is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo implants outside the uterine cavity. With rare exceptions, ectopic pregnancies are not viable. Furthermore, they are dangerous for the parent, since internal haemorrhage is a life threatening complication...

 is a complication after a tuboplasty.

History

Prior to the advent of in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) surgical correction was the usual approach for women with tubal infertility who wanted to get pregnant. However, since about 1990 IVF technology has increasingly supplanted tuboplasty as a treatment for tubal infertility.