operation that combines the removal of a fallopian tube with the removal of at least one ovary is a salpingo-oophorectomy. an operation to remove a fallopian tube obstruction is called a tuboplasty. a surgical procedure to permanently prevent conception is tubal ligation. cancer main article: fallopian tube cancer fallopian tube cancer, which typically arises from the epithelial lining of the fallopian tube, has historically been considered to be a very rare malignancy. evidence suggests it probably represents a significant portion of what has previously been classified as ovarian cancer, as much as 80 per cent. these are classed as serous carcinomas, and are usually located in the fimbriated distal tube. other in rare cases a fallopian tube may prolapse into the vaginal canal following a hysterectomy. the swollen fimbriae can have the appearance of an adenocarcinoma. history the fallopian tube was first described as a structure linked to fertilization by the greek physician soranus of ephesus (1st century ad). the fallopian tubes were named by vesalius after his assistant the 16th-century italian anatomist gabriele falloppio, the first person to provide a detailed description of the tubes. he thought they resembled trumpets, tube in italian, which was misunderstood and became the english "tube". though the name fallopian tube is eponymous, it is often spelt with a lower case f from the assumption that the adjective fallopian has been absorbed into modern english as the de facto name for the structure. merriam-webster dictionary for example lists fallopian tube, often spelt fallopian tube. additional images image showing numbered parts of the fallopian tubes and surrounding structures female reproductive system numbered parts image showing the right fallopian tube (here labeled the uterine tube) seen from behind. the uterus, ovaries and right broad ligament are labeled. cross-section of fallopian tube, stained and viewed under microscope