Outpatient laparoscopic sterilisation: Comparison between electrocautery and clip application

In a personal prospective series of 504 day-case laparoscopic sterilisations in 1977-78, unipolar tubal electrocoagulation was compared with spring-loaded clip application. Two patients who had cautery required laparotomy because of serious bleeding and one because of accidental bowel diathermy. Clip application was free from serious complications, but caused more post-operative pain. The majority of patients were performing normal or light household duties within 24 hours of sterilisation.

Sterilization: a comparative review

Publications relating to surgical procedures for sterilization have been reviewed, and the incidences of complications and subsequent pregnancies compared. Laparoscopic sterilization has the lowest incidence of complication, the morbidity rate being lower than that of laparotomy sterilization or hysterectomy, and the mortality rate lower than that of a single pregnancy or taking oral contraceptives for 1 year.

Safety of postabortion sterilisation compared with interval sterilisation. A controlled study

406 women--about one-fifth of those requesting an induced abortion and sterilisation over a thirty-three-month period--volunteered to be allocated randomly to either a concurrent induced-abortion/sterilisation group or a group which was sterilised six weeks after abortion. The abortion-attributable and sterilisation-attributable complication rates of 3.8% and 5.2%, respectively, for the concurrent group did not differ significantly from the 6.7% and 6.9% rates for the interval group. The estimated 2%-10% of women who would have changed their minds must be set against the 4% of women who became pregnant again before being sterilised. Efforts should be made to identify women likely to regret sterilisation.

Tubal ligation by colpotomy incision

A five-year review of colpotomy tubal ligation performed on 585 patients within a private-practice setting in Columbus, Georgia, is analyzed. Operative time averaged under 30 minutes, and average hospital stay was less than 3 days. The major postoperative complication rate was less than 2%. The patient population is reviewed as to age, parity, previous contraception, and medical indications for sterilization. Surgical technique is discussed, and several suggestions are made, A follow-up of subsequent gynecologic procedures and the interval following colpotomy is then presented.

Female sterilization using an elasticated silicone ring

This paper presents the experience, in a District General Hospital, of using an elasticated silicone ring applied to the Fallopian tubes by the laparoscope. It is concluded that this is a safe and effective method of female sterilization, with good patient acceptance.

Silicone band sterilization with radiographic and laparoscopic evaluation

Laparoscopic tubal sterilization, using a Silastic band to occlude the tubal lumen, was performed on 224 patients. The incidence of complications was low and only 2 pregnancies occurred. Further evaluation by hysterosalpingography on 97 patients revealed 2 distinct images. The site of tubal occlusion was seen on laparoscopy performed on 7 patients. The radiographic and laparoscopic findings are discussed.

Thermal injury to the bowel as a complication of laparoscopic sterilization

Thermal injury to the small bowel occurred four times in a series of 7466 consecutive laparoscopies and tubal cauterization performed for sterilization. The four patients presented with signs and symptoms of delayed bowel perforation 4 to 11 days after the procedure. The perforations were small and involved the antimesenteric border of the terminal ileum. Histologic study of the excised specimen in one case showed full thickness coagulative necrosis of the bowel wall. Potential causes for bowel burn associated with tubal cauterization are discussed. Steps to minimize the occurrence of this complication include proper use of the laparoscope and cautery equipment, good anesthesia and gas distension of the abdomen, correct positioning of the patient and clear visualization of the operative field.

[Laparoscopic sterilization with electrocautery: complications and reliability (author's transl)]

1084 laparoscopic sterilizations were evaluated in a retrospective study at the Universitäts-Frauenklinik Zürich. The operative and early postoperative complications and the reliability of the method were analysed and compared to the results in the literature. Based on a cumulative statistical analysis 0,5% intraoperative complications required laparotomy, the main indications being haemorrhages and bowel injuries. Failed attempts were encountered in one of 150 patients, the main causes of which were adhaesions and difficulties at establishing pneumoperitoneum. The failure rate of the laparoscopic electrocoagulation of the fallopian tube after a long-term follow-up was about 0,5%, 20--25% of these were ectopic pregnancies. The transection of the fallopian tubes did not diminish the pregnancy rate, but the risk of bleeding was considerably higher with this technic. Concurrently performed therapeutic abortion or preceeeding laparotomy did not increase the operative complication rate.

Current status of sterilization

About 50 per cent of child bearing women in Australia are being sterilized. The selection of patients for the procedure requires careful counseling in order to avoid the risk of regret. Factors increasing the risk of regret are enumerated. Laparoscopy is the most popular method for sterilization, but mini laparotomy is a reasonable alternative for patients not having access to skilled laparoscopists. Clips and rings provide a greater chance of successful reversal of sterilization, and are recommended for use in younger women. The sequelae of sterilization are slight, with failure of technique, infection and temporary regret being the commonest. Serious psychological or physical sequelae are rare. If reversal is required the microsurgical technique is recommended.

10-year survey of 485 sterilisations. Part I--Sterilisation or hysterectomy?

A survey was made of all sterilisations performed in an obstetric and gynaecological unit in Dunfermline in 1965-74 to determine the outcome and complications. Altogether 547 women were sterilised by the modified Pomeroy method, and 485 (88.7%) were interviewed and examined. No sterilisation was followed by serious complications, and the incidence of even minor complications was low (4.12%). There were no subsequent pregnancies. Altogether 57 women had to be referred for gynaecological operations in the years after sterilisation but only 18 of these had to have hysterectomies. At interview 59 women were found to have gynaecological symptoms (menstrual disorders in 46), and examination showed that 83 women had a gynaecological condition, which was in most cases unsuspected by the patient. Most of these conditions were minor but three women had carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix. Although 46 women suffered menstrual disorders after sterilisation 104 had done so at some time before the operation. These results therefore offer little support for the wider use of hysterectomy as a form of sterilisation.

Myometrial vascular damage after surgical sterilisation by tubal diathermy

Vascular damage is described in the myometrium adjacent to areas of previous tubal diathermy for sterilisation. Elastosis, different in degree from that seen in the multiparous uterus, is most common, but more striking is medial arteriolar muscle loss with microaneurysm formation and occasional rupture.

[Ureterlesion in laparoscopic sterilisation of the Fallopian tube (author's transl)]

A case of severe ureterlesion following sterilisation of the Fallopian tube is presented. Since 28 days elapsed before operative relief of the kidney was attempted reconstructive surgery of the ureter at a later date proved to be unsuccessful. A secondary nephrectomy had to be performed.

Laparoscopic sterilization as an outpatient procedure

Since June 1972, more than 2,000 laparoscopic sterilizations have been performed as outpatient procedures using neuroleptanalgesics. Electrocoagulation, spring-loaded clips or tubal rings were the methods used for tubal occlusion. All laparoscopies were performed in a family planning clinic. The surgical facilities were minimal and did not include general anesthesia equipment or a blood bank. The nearest hospital was about one-half mile from the clinic. The procedures were performed by a physician assisted by two paramedical personnel and a technician. Patients were scheduled to be at the clinic on the morning of the procedure and were discharged three to six hours after the procedure. Only one patient required hospitalization for treatment of a complication: her aorta was punctured during placement of the Tuohy needle. The patient was admitted to a local hospital and underwent laparotomy for repair; her subsequent recovery was uneventful. No bowel or bladder burns have occurred. Minor complications (emphysema of the abdominal wall, bleeding from the tubes, infections) have occurred in less than 4% of the patients. The results of this study indicate that laparoscopy in an outpatient clinic is safe and presents minimal additional risks to the patient if the surgeon is experienced.

[Surgical procedures for sterilization of the women: certainty--complications (author's transl)]

The time (interval, postpartum, postabortum), location (uterus, mucus membrane of the oviducts, tubes), access (transcervical, transvaginal, trans-abdominal) and the actual method of sterilization for the women (surgical, electric, thermic, mechanical) can be differentiated and combined with each other in various ways. Today the usual procedure is sterilization by partial resection of the oviducts performed laparoscopically in the interval via electrocoagulation and surgically after delivery via periumbilical minilaparotomy. Laparoscopic sterilization via electrocoagulation has a rate of failure of about 1:1,000 and the mortality rate is less than 1:10,000. The most frequent complications are: hemorrhages due to injury of the larger vessels and burns in the intestine caused by the electric current. For this reason, conventional (:unipolar") electrocoagulation should be replaced by the so-called bipolar coagulation or other newer methods which avoid these complications. On the basis of the current literature, no definitive statements can be made regarding the reliability of the newer methods (silastic ring, plastic clips, thermocoagulation). An additional, although up until now purely hypothetic, advantage of the newer methods is the possibility of reversibility. With conventional electrocoagulation, the rate of reversilbility is very low. Additional alternatives are also culdotomy and minilaparotomy in the interval with the assistance of a uterus elevator. Both ways of access may be combined with various methods of sterilization. The pros and cons of the hysterectomy as a method of sterilization are still being discussed. Occasional late sequelae of sterilization such as menstrual disorders, pain and, particularly, problems related to sexual intercourse have only recently come to light. They have not yet been adequately investigated.