Laparoscopic sterilization with electrocautery: complications and reliability
Bänninger, U.; Kunz, J.; Schreiner, W.E.
Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde 39(5): 393-400
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-5751 PMID: 156665 Document Number: 140976
A study of 1084 women who underwent laparoscopic sterilization by electrocoagulation is presented. 65% were interval sterilizations, 35% were performed after an induced abortion. Bleeding was the most frequent intraoperative complication (11.4%) and was significantly more frequent among patients whose Fallopian tubes were divided after electrocoagulation. In 10 cases, a laparotomy had to be performed; in 9 of these cases intraoperative complications, mainly intraperitoneal growths, made the laparotomy necessary. Although 9.7% of the patients had previously undergone laparotomy and 8.6% had had adnexitis, intraperitoneal growths resulting from these factors prevented laparoscopic sterilization in only 1 patient in each case. Pregnancy occurred in 9 of the patients (.83%) an average of 25.1 months after the operation. In 3 of these cases an ectopic pregnancy was observed. In 3 cases, method failure was responsible for the pregnancy, in 2 cases an operative error. The frequency of intraoperative bleeding was not significantly higher for women who had previously had adnexitis, undergone laparotomy, or who underwent post-abortion sterilization.