Spontaneous contractile pattern of isolated circular and longitudinal muscle layers from the ampullae of normal and damaged fallopian tubes.

Ampullary biopsies were obtained from twenty-three normal fertile women and from eleven women with hydrosalpinges. The contractile activity of 4-mm muscle strips was studied isometrically in organ bath. Both normal circular and longitudinal muscle strips contracted with similar frequency, duration and amplitude. Circular and longitudinal muscle strips from hydrosalpinges contracted with a lower frequency and a longer duration and the amplitude of contractions was higher than normal. The difference in frequency and duration was statistically significant. The possible explanations for these differences in rhythmicity between normal and diseased fallopian tubes are presented and the prognostic relevance discussed.