Thyroidectomy and induced hypothyroidism: a factor in the genesis of hydrosalpinx

Abstract

The primary or natural cause of hydrosalpinx seemingly remains elusive; though some reports had indicated that increased intraluminal pressure is responsible for the phenomenon. This study was designed to determine the remote causes of increased intraluminal pressure using animal thyroid hormone as a pressure sensitive hormone. Four groups of sexually mature female Wistar rats (n=25), categorized into (1) Control or enthyroid rats, (2) thyrodectomized (T), (3) thyroidectomized but treated with thyroxine (TTT) and (4) thyroxine-treated or euthyroid rats (TT), were used for this study. For 60 days, the animals were fed with rat chow, while thyroxine (10ug/kg) was specifically administered to each of the rats in TTT and TT groups every alternate days of the experimental period. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed after blood sample collection, to harvest the uterine horn tissues, which were subsequently processed for histological study; with emphasis on the tubo-uterine junction. Results showed significant cytoarchitectural changes in the experimental groups, while thyroxinemia without  thyrotocosis -as indicated by the non-significant T4 level (P<0.040), was observed in the TT group that received  physiological doses of thyroxine. Our findings suggest therefore, that hypothyroidism might be a primary factor in the genesis of hydrosalpinx.

Key Words: hydrosalpinx, oedema, thyrodectomy, hypothyroidism, thyroxine treatment.