Fallopian tube blockage

Fallopian tube (oviduct) blockage is mainly due to inflammatory processes. In acute phase of inflammation, the wall of oviducts become thicken and when no treatment is introduced in time, fluid or pus will accumulate in oviduct.It may also due to insignificant symptoms during acute inflammatory phase which is discovered later in chronic phase and causes oviduct blockage. Nevertheless, mild degree of mucosal adhesion in its cavity or partly blockade is very common. If treatment is not sufficient, it will then progress to chronic inflammatory syndrome, adhesion of mucosal membrane and resulted in oviduct blockage. 


   

   The Chinese medicine thought that the chronic salpingitis (inflammation of oviduct) causes the blockage, mainly due to inattentive lifestyle or habits during menstrual period (e.g. cooling of body during menstruation and so on), which causes invasion of uterus by evil substances, resulting in imbalance of the vital energy and blood; old blood then accumulates in uterus, therefore new blood cannot be generated. Clinically, there is often a mixture of actual and other symptoms that is caused by bruises blockage. As the sayings in 'Secret journal of Shi' (Shi shi mi lu): 'If there are any disturbances in Qi, then the reproductive Qi cannot pass through due to external blockage.' Therefore, the primary aim of clinical treatment is to dissolve bruises, and different treatment according to the pathogenesis.



Clinical symptoms include lower abdominal cramps, abdominal pain or irregular menstrual, but there are some patients that complained only about infertility and do not have any subjective symptoms; metrosalphingography (radiography of uterus and fallopian tube) with iodolipol solution can accurately reveals part and degree of blockage (complete or partial), if one shows long and slender oviduct with beads shape or hardened form as tubercles, then, the treatment would be more difficult. In judgment of the radiography, it is important to notice the location and size of uterus, shape of cervix cavity, whether there is irregular border, any filling defects, shadows interrupting blood vessels and widening of cervix or yields appearance of  folds and etc.