To evaluate the intra-operative
complications of
outpatient interval
tubal sterilization at a
teaching hospital. The data of 461
patients who underwent interval
tubal ligation ITL at the
Family Planning Clinic of Ankara Etlik Maternity and
Women's Health Teaching and
Research Hospital, Ankara,
Turkey between January 2002 and December 2005 were reviewed from a computerized database. The demographic characteristics, operative
technique, and intra- and early
postoperative complications of
patients were evaluated. Only 11
patients had
minilaparotomy for ITL. Laparoscopic ITL was performed using bipolar
cautery. The cases
who were hospitalized or
who had a complication and/or an unplanned
laparotomy were analyzed. The mean age of
patients was 35.1 range 21-51,
gravidity was 4.6 range 2-9,
parity was 3.2 range 2-7, and number of living
children was 3.1 range 2-6. Out of 461
patients, only 2 0.4% had
complications related with
general anesthesia. Two cases 0.4% had
bleeding from the port-site, 3 cases 0.6% had meso-salpingeal and meso-ovarian
bleeding, one had omental
bleeding 0.2% and one case had
bleeding 0.2% from the vaginal wall. There was only one 0.2% intestinal
burn that required a
laparotomy and segmental resection followed by end-to-end anastomosis. The
mortality was nil, whilst the
morbidity was found to be 2.1%, and all the
complications were encountered in
patients who had
laparoscopic surgery.
Outpatient tubal ligation is a convenient and safe
procedure, and implementing endoscopic surgical
techniques is necessary for correction of the
complications