Failure and Regret After Laparoscopic Filshie Clip Sterilization Under Local Anesthetic

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the failure, regret, and reversal rates 5 or more years after laparoscopic Filshie clip sterilization using local anesthesia. METHODS: A total of 1,101 women underwent Filshie clip sterilization between 1983 and 2002. They completed follow-up questionnaires that were analyzed for the following outcomes: failed sterilization, regret after the operation, and sterilization reversal. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-three of 968 (24%) eligible women sent the questionnaire had moved from their last known address. Of the remaining 735 women, 573 (78%) completed the questionnaire: 223 (39%) 5-6 years after the operation, 175 (30%) after 7-9 years, and 175 (30%) after 10-15 years. One pregnancy occurred 10 months after surgery, and one woman had the procedure repeated when unilateral tubal patency was identified by hysterosalpingography 3 weeks after surgery. Twenty-four (4%) women regretted having the operation; 7 (1.2%) women had a reversal operation, and all subsequently conceived. CONCLUSION: Failure after tubal sterilization using Filshie clips is less than 1:500 operations. Patient selection and surgeons' experience may have influenced these results. Regret occurred in a small proportion.