Salpingectomy is the surgical removal of one or both fallopian tubes.
In medicine, there is not always data to support diagnostic or therapeutic behavior. This is not the case when, in the context of the study of reproductive dysfunction, a hydrosalpinx appears.
A hydrosalpinx is the dilation of the fallopian tube due to the presence of fluid inside it. When diagnosed, salpingectomy before in vitro fertilization treatment improves the chances of achieving a pregnancy. This is according to the review carried out by the Cochrane Library, probably the most rigorous and reliable organization of researchers when making recommendations in health sciences.
Therefore this would be a case where salpingectomy would be highly advisable. This is what science says but the Law makes clear the right to patient autonomy. The law says: "Any action in the field of health of a patient needs the free and voluntary consent of the affected person, once, received the information provided in Article 4, has assessed the options specific to the case". Because of this bioethical principle of autonomy, the patient can decide, even though she knows that the prognosis of the in vitro fertilization treatment worsens, not to undergo a salpingectomy. The concept of "strictly necessary" is therefore relegated to what the patient, properly informed, decides.
