title: High pregnancy rate after microsurgical tubal reanastomosis by temporary loose parallel 4-quadrant sutures technique: a long long-term follow-up report on 961 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Only a limited portion of sterilized women undergo tubal reanastomosis due to high costs, limited availability of qualified practitioners willing to perform the procedure and increasing success rates with IVF. However, IVF has complications and an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy and multiple pregnancies. Recently, the importance of specialized training for tubal anastomosis has been re-emphasized. This study aimed to report the procedure of our microsurgical tubal reanastomosis by a temporary loose parallel 4-quadrant suture technique and its high pregnancy outcome over the last 20 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  This clinical study retrospectively analyzed data on 961 consecutive patients who underwent tubal reversal between March 1988 and August 2007 in a large urban medical center. All surgical operations were performed by microsurgical tubal reanastomosis using a temporary loose parallel 4-quadrant suture technique by a single surgeon. Subsequent pregnancy outcomes were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall pregnancy rate was 85.1, 82.6 being intrauterine and 2.5% ectopic. The pregnancy rate was significantly reduced in patients over 40 years old (53.9%) compared with patients aged 40 years or less (90.3%) (P < 0.05). Repair done at the interstitial-ampulla site yielded a significantly higher ectopic pregnancy rate (20.0%) compared with other anastomosis sites (0-3.2%) (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that our technique resulted in a high pregnancy rate comparable with the level of natural fertility. The study also reveals that ectopic pregnancy frequently occurs in tubal reanastomosis of the interstitial-ampulla site compared with other sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Good Moonhwa Hospital, Busan, Korea. moonhwas@moonhwa.or.kr
authors.forename: Hwa Sook
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Bo Sun
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Gun Sik
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sung Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Sang Gap
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ja Seong
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Koo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013243:Sterilization Reversal / Q000379:methods*; D013536:Suture Techniques