Minilaparotomy tubal sterilization: a comparison between normal and high-risk patients.

Eight hundred cases of interval sterilization using suprapubic minilaparotomy were performed between August 1976 and November 1980. The high-risk population was defined as patients who had any preexisting medical condition, including obesity. No significant differences were found when the control patients were compared with the high-risk group in terms of operative and postoperative problems. All procedures were done under intravenous sedation and local anesthesia on an outpatient basis. The follow-up rate at 1 week was 100%. As of August 1980, 480 of the 482 patients due for 1-year follow-up were seen; the remaining 2 were contacted by telephone. Neither serious complications nor readmission to the hospital was found. There were no patients rejected on medical grounds and no failures to achieve tubal occlusion. In 3 patients, because of findings during minilaparotomy, laparotomy was carried out under general anesthesia as a continuation of the original procedure.