Effect Of Shock Waves On Fallopian Tubes Adhesion: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: A major contributing factor to female infertility is tubal obstruction. Extracorporeal shock waves are acoustic disruptions that travel through a medium, providing energy that helps reduce adhesions and avoid the development of hypertrophic wounds.

Objective: The study’s aim was to explore the efficacy of extracorporeal shock waves on fallopian tube adhesions in infertile women.

Materials and Methods: This study involved a total of 52 women, aged 25-35 years, diagnosed with secondary infertility due to fallopian tube adhesions. All participants had a body mass index (BMI) of less than 35 kg/m² and regular menstrual cycles. Participants were recruited from the outpatient clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Police Authority Hospital in Al Agoza, Giza, Egypt. They were randomly distributed into two groups: control group A, which received medical treatment with chitosan under medical supervision, and study group B, which was treated with the same medical intervention plus extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for one session per week for 12 weeks. Fallopian tube patency was assessed before and after the 12-week intervention period using ultrasonography and hysterosalpingography (HSG).

Results: Higher statistically significant improvement in the patency of the fallopian tubes was observed in group B than in group A after treatment (p = 0.001) based on both ultrasound and HSG assessments.

Conclusion: The addition of ESWT to medical treatment (chitosan) resulted in superior outcomes in terms of fallopian tube patency, as measured by both ultrasound and HSG, compared to chitosan treatment alone.