Spring clip sterilization: one-year follow-up of 1,079 cases

This is a report of 1,079 patients who underwent laparoscopic clip sterlization as of March, 1974. A one-year follow-up was obtained on 977 patients, or 90.5 per cent. Complications due to the clip technique appear limited to postoperative cramps for 24 to 48 hours in 26 per cent of patients. No ectopic pregnancies were detected. Pregnancies, when corrected for unsuspected existing pregnancies and surgical and manufacturing errors, occurred in 2 to 6 cases, for a method failure rate of 2 to 6/1,000. This report documents that experienced laparoscopists can perform this practice with local anesthesia, in combination with first-trimester abortion, and in hospital facilities other than an operating room.