Laparoscopic fimbrioplasty and neosalpingostomy. Experience of the Yaoundé General Hospital, Cameroon (report of 194 cases)

OBJECTIVE(S): To study the fertility results after laparoscopic distal tuboplasty and compare them with the data in the literature.

194 laparoscopic distal tuboplasties were carried out from May 1992 to May 1994 in the Yaounde General Hospital (Cameroon). The results were analysed according to the age of the patients, the type and duration of infertility, past history of abortion, laparotomy and Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the tube and adhesion scores, surgical procedures and achievement of pregnancy. The fertility rates were calculated according to Cramer's method [11]. The cumulative pregnancy rate curves were drawn up from the life table [12] and compared using the Log-Rank test.

53 patients obtained pregnancy (27.3%) of which 45 were inter-uterine (23.2%) and 8 ectopic (4.1%). Of the 45 intra-uterine pregnancies (IUP), 36 were obtained after fimbrioplasty (33.3%) and 9 after neosalpingostomy (10.5%). The monthly fertility rate at one year was 1.4%. The rate of IUP for tube stages I and II is significantly higher than that for stages III and IV (p<0.001). However the rate of ectopic pregnancies (EP) is proportional to damage to the tubes. Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, and residual inflammation could have an effect on the achievement of pregnancy.

CONCLUSION(S): Our results are similar to those found in the literature. The tube stage thus remains the decisive factor in terms of fertility (Cox: p<0.001). Operative laparoscopy is the best alternative in our countries compared with laparotomy for distal tubal pathology.