Tubal ligation via colpotomy or laparoscopy: a retrospective comparative study

To compare transvaginal with laparoscopic tubal sterilization with respect to invasiveness and outcomes. The outcomes of 103 patients who received interval tubal sterilization were compared. Group A (n = 38) underwent the transvaginal approach, group B (n = 38) a laparoscopic approach, and group C (n = 27) underwent mini-laparotomy due to difficulties encountered in one of the other procedures. There were no significant differences in patient age between the groups. There was no significant difference in operative time or blood loss between groups A and B. Operative time was significantly longer in group C (120 +/- A 35 min) than group A (40 +/- A 5 min) or group B (45 +/- A 9 min) (p < 0.05). Blood loss was significantly greater in group C (120 +/- A 30 ml) than in group A (10 +/- A 2 ml) or group B (10 +/- A 1 ml) (p < 0.05). The cost of transvaginal tubal sterilization was the lowest, and that of mini-laparotomy was the highest. There was no contraception failure in any group. Transvaginal tubal sterilization is technically more difficult, but when correctly performed it is not associated with an increased complication rate, and is less costly than laparoscopic sterilization.