Experience of Laparoscopic Tubal Surgery at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kiel, From 1999 Through 2000

OBJECTIVE We analyzed the results of laparoscopic tubal surgery performed at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Kiel, between 1999 and 2000. A retrospective review of 236 tubal surgical procedures was conducted: (1) patients with ectopic pregnancies, unilateral or bilateral tubal occlusions or alterations and (2) medically indicated sterilizations and salpingectomies. METHODS Two specialists and 10 gynecologists in residency training performed the following 236 procedures: 64 salpingotomies, 74 salpingectomies, 25 salpingostomies, 8 tubal end-to-end anastomoses, 24 fimbrioplasties, and 41 tubal sterilizations. In June 2001, questionnaires were sent to all 236 patients who underwent laparoscopic tubal surgery to evaluate subsequent pregnancies. From the 195 answers received, 155 patients wished to have children and of these 79 (51%) became pregnant. In 8 tubal reversals, 6 pregnancies occurred, resulting in a 75% success rate. In the group of sterilizations and salpingectomies, no pregnancies occurred. RESULTS A pregnancy rate of 51% resulted after tubal reconstructive surgery. After tubal sterilization, no pregnancies were observed in the following 3 years. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic tubal surgery has surpassed laparotomic tubal surgery with comparable success rates. Laparoscopic tubal surgery is also a less traumatic procedure.