A new method of transcervical female sterilization: preliminary results in rabbits

In search of an outpatient procedure for female sterilization, the authors performed the following animal study. Two groups of seven rabbits were subjected to laparotomy, hysterotomy, and hysteroscopy. The uterotubal junction (UTJ) was destroyed with bipolar electrical current, and a plug (Aqualloy, Drachten, The Netherlands) was inserted. The plug on the right side contained quinacrine (Q) in group A and platelet extract (PE) in group B. Histologic assessment by serial sections indicated occlusion of the UTJ in all but one case (96% success rate). This one failure is attributed to the technical difficulties associated with hysteroscopy in the rabbit. The authors project that this method may have the potential of becoming an acceptable outpatient procedure for female sterilization in the human.