[Laparoscopy: tubal sterilization: 1000 cases and general evaluation of the method].

: 1000 cases of laparoscopic tubal cauterization performed between January 1970 and December 1972 are reviewed. The number of cases rose d ramatically during that 3-year period. The average age of the patients was 35 years and the average parity was almost 4 children. The requirements to authorize the operation were initially very strict, but subsequently became much more liberal: the overall rate of elective sterilization was 72.2%. The complications reported ranged from minor to serious: 6 laparotomies were required, of which 2 were to control hemorrhages in the uterus and 4 to correct ideal perforations. A 7th la parotomy was necessary in order to perform the sterilization, because the laparoscope was unable to penetrate a curtain of adhesions. The effectiveness of the method is excellent, since only 3 pregnancies were reported, of which 2 were in progress at the time of surgery and only 1 was a true failure, resulting from the coil cauterization of only 1 tube.