Salpingectomy refers to the surgical removal of a ((Fallopian tube)).
Salpingectomy is the second most common surgical procedure for women in the United States.
It is done to treat an ectopic pregnancy or cancer, to prevent cancer, or as a form of contraception.
For contraceptive purposes, this procedure is irreversible and more effective than tubal ligation.
The procedure is performed in women with a bleeding ectopic pregnancy.
Other indications include infected tubes or as part of the surgical procedure for tubal cancer.
A bilateral salpingectomy will lead to sterility.
Prophylactic salpingectomy can be performed on women who are at a high risk of developing fallopian tube/ovarian cancer.
Traditionally been done via a laparotomy
Today, laparoscopic salpingectomies have become more common as part of minimally invasive surgery.
The tube is severed at the point where it enters the uterus and along its mesenteric edge.
Commonly done as part of a procedure called a salpingo-oophorectomy, where one or both ovaries, as well as one or both Fallopian tubes, are removed in one operation.
It is called a Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy (BSO) if both ovaries and Fallopian tubes are removed.
If a BSO is combined with a hysterectomy, the procedure is commonly called a TAH-BSO: Total Abdominal Hysterectomy with a Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy.
Opportunistic salpingectomy is now recommended at the completion of childbearing for patients undergoing GYN or other surgery to prevent ovarian cancer.