Mechanical devices for interval laparoscopic tubal sterilization in previous IUD users

This retrospective analysis was conducted to determine whether IUD users are good candidates for laparoscopic sterilization using the tubal ring and the Filshie clip. The data set used for the analysis came from international multicenter clinical trials involving 1235 women who were sterilized by the tubal ring and 1892 women sterilized by the Filshie clip. Results indicate that former IUD use is not associated with an increased risk of surgical injuries, including uterine perforation, major complications, or postoperative infections, for either of these tubal occlusion techniques. The risk of a sterilization procedure ending in technical failure (defined as switching to laparotomy and/or a tubal occlusion technique not originally planned) among tubal ring cases was greater for former IUD users than for non-IUD users. However, this may be related to a center effect. Nine of the 10 ring cases with technical difficulties were successfully switched to electrocoagulation, and the operator did not have to resort to an unintended laparotomy. The incidence of surgical difficulties among the Filshie clip cases was also higher in former IUD users, but all of these difficulties were safely overcome without changing the tubal occlusion method. These findings lead us to believe that, in general, a woman's IUD use should not generally be a reason for an experienced service provider to hesitate in performing an interval laparoscopic sterilization using a mechanical tubal occlusion technique.