A comparison of the clip and ring techniques for laparoscopic sterilization of postabortion and postpartum patients

The spring-loaded clip and the tubal ring techniques of laparoscopic female sterilization are compared for ease of performance, safety and effectiveness at the Kandang Kerbau Hospital in Singapore. The two techniques were randomly assigned to 299 postpartum patients and 300 postabortion patients. The assigned procedure could not be performed for two of the ring cases and three of the clip cases. Bleeding and equipment problems made laparotomy necessary in two clip cases and equipment problems caused a change in technique in the other clip case. Hydrosalpinx and adhesions were responsible for a change to laparotomy in the two ring cases. Surgical difficulties, chiefly the result of equipment problems, were significantly higher for both postpartum and postabortion clip procedures. Complications and complaints reported immediately after surgery and at the 7- to 21-day follow-up visit were low for all four groups. For both postabortion and postpartum patients, six- and 12-month data show that pregnancy rates are significantly higher for patients sterilized with the clip than with tubal rings.