title: Female sterilization failure after bipolar electrocoagulation: a 6 year retrospective study.
abstract: A 6 year retrospective study was conducted from January 1983 till December 1988. During this period there were 13,014 births, 1,776 registered spontaneous abortions and 200 tubal pregnancies. 1,437 sterilizations were performed in the same period via bipolar electrocoagulation. 11.5% of the ectopic pregnancies were in patients who had previously undergone a tubal sterilization. The failure ratio following bipolar coagulation was 1.18%, and all failures were extra-uterine pregnancies, with an average interval between sterilization and ectopic pregnancy of 28.8 months. This reflects the importance of previous sterilizations as an etiologic agent in ectopic gestations. We will discuss the possible etiological factors for our sterilization failures and how these failures can be avoided or minimized. Also diagnostic difficulties and management of an extra-uterine pregnancy (EUP) following sterilization will be presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sint Augustinus Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Makar
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Vanderheyden
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Schatteman
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Albertyn
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Verkinderen
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Van Marck
mesh_terms: D004564:Electrocoagulation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013246:Sterilization, Tubal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods