Laparoscopic tubal sterilization under local anesthesia.

Laparoscopic tubal sterilization has been performed under local anesthesia in the United States since 1971. Pilot studies suggested that local anesthesia was as adequate and as safe as general anesthesia. Since 1980, the senior author has performed more than 3000 outpatient laparoscopic tubal sterilizations with the silastic ring under local anesthesia. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted on 2827 cases. The technical failure rate was 0.14%. There were no unintended laparotomies due to complications. The mean operative time was 10.0 +/- 5.1 minutes. The mean anesthesia time was 23.3 +/- 6.9 minutes. The hospital cost for the patient was reduced by 68-85%. This study demonstrates that laparoscopic tubal sterilization can be performed adequately, safely, and quickly under local anesthesia.