Microbiopsy of the fallopian tube as a method for clinical investigation of tubal function in infertility.

Microbiopsy of the fimbrial end of the fallopian tube may prove to be a valuable method for investigating the tubal pick-up and transport mechanism in infertility patients. Counting of the percentage of ciliated cells on semithin sections shows that in normal fertile women a percentage of such cells is present that is higher than in abnormal conditions such as peritubal adhesions, ectopic pregnancy and amenorrhoea following prolonged progestogen treatment. It is also suggested that ultrastructural examination of the biopsy may provide additional valuable information.