Intraoperative complications of voluntary surgical contraception in women: Analysis of 1194 cases

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the intraoperative complication rates of voluntary surgical contraception at a teaching hospital setting. DESIGN: A retrospective review of hospital records of 1 194 women who had voluntary surgical sterilization between April 1994 and November 1997. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 32 ± 4.1 (range 22-43). While 1113 patients (93%) had laparoscopic approach, 81 (6,7%) had minilaparotomy and pomeroy technique was used for tubal ligation. During laparoscopic approach electrocautery was applied for tubal ligation in 1053 (88%) of the cases while sixty patients (5%) had silastic band (yoon ring) application. Overall intraoperative complication rate was 1 .3%. There was no complication due to general anesthesia and mortality rate was nil. The complications consisted of tubal lacerations and bleeding in nine cases (0.80%), bowel injury in four cases (0.35%) and omental injury in two cases (0.18%), external iliac vein was traumatized in one case (0.08%) during trocar insertion. The intraoperative complication rate of laparoscopy was 1 .04% in patients who had bipolar electrocoagulation of the tubes while yoon ring application had a complication rate of 6.6%. No intraoperative complication was observed in patients who had minilaparotomy. CONCLUSION: Female sterilization is a permanent and safe method of contraception.