An evaluation of the Filshie clip for postpartum sterilization in Austria.

Voluntary sterilization is a popular method of family size limitation. Among other techniques for surgical induction of female sterility, the application of various kinds of clips to the Fallopian tubes has been introduced. The Filshie clips consist of rubber-lined titanium and their use for interval sterilization has been repeatedly published. So far, there are only a few reports regarding the use of Filshie clips during the postpartum period, when tubes are edematous and more friable. Therefore, 300 women voluntarily requesting postpartum surgical sterilization for the purpose of family size limitation were enrolled into a prospective trial. Within 72 h of delivery, 282 women were sterilized under general anesthesia using a subumbilical minilaparotomy approach and Filshie clip application. Of these women, 251 were available for follow-up examination at 6 weeks, 240 at 6 months, 234 at 12 months, and 209 at 24 months after the sterilization procedure. Complication rates were low, and there were no pregnancies during the follow-up period. These results indicate that the application of Filshie clips is a safe and efficacious method of surgical female sterilization in the postpartum period.