Tubal sterilization with Filshie Clip. A multicentre study of the ICMR task force on female sterilization.

Female sterilization by the application of Filshe Clip Mark IV has been studied, on a prospective multicentric basis in 869 women for a period of two years. Sixty involuntary pregnancy following ligation were reported giving a failure rate of 8.6 per 100 women at the end of 24 months. Method failures were observed to be evenly distributed throughout the period of observation except in puerperal ligation in whom majority of the pregnancies occurred after six months following ligation. Failure rate was significantly higher in post-abortal ligations as compared to interval ligations. Due to unexpectedly higher failures rate further recruitment of study subjects was discontinued. Information on the status of the clip was available in only 30 of the sixty failures and the clips were in situ in only 4 cases, indicating improper application of clips. In view of high failure rates attributable to improper clip application, the method does not appear to be suitable for programmatic conditions in our country.