Return to Main Menu

Female sterilization procedure approved MUSC  now offers a minimally invasive method of female sterilization just approved by the Federal Drug Administration.  Hysteroscopic sterilization is the first alternative to tubal ligation for women seeking permanent birth control in the U.S.  The procedure has already been in use in Australia, Europe, Singapore and Canada.  Following FDA approval of the procedure in November, 2002, James F. Carter, M.D., and Donald L. Fylstra, M.D., MUSC gynecologists, already highly experienced hysteroscopic surgeons, went to Chicago to learn the new procedure. They returned to Charleston and did the first four cases in the area under supervision of the device manufacturer. The procedure takes about 30 minutes and can be done under local anesthesia. Doctors thread a thin tube, the hysteroscope, attached to a camera through the cervix into the uterus to the tubal openings. A catheter is used to insert a dacron-filled coil into the fallopian tube.  A twist of the catheter leaves the device in place.  “The sterilization is not immediate,” said Carter. After three months, tissue reaction to the device produces a permanent occlusion of the tubes. The patient must use backup contraceptive for three months and then returns for testing to ensure that the tubes are fully blocked.  The procedure is much less invasive than the traditional tubal ligation, which requires conventional surgery, usually right after the woman delivers a baby, or laparoscopic surgery, where doctors work through a small incision in the abdomen.  An estimated 700,000 American women undergo tubal ligation each year, making it the most common form of contraception in the United States. While tubal ligation is usually very safe, it is typically done under general anesthesia and does carry some risk, particularly in women who are overweight or who have had previous surgery. The patient usually requires a few days of recovery before returning to regular activities. The new procedure is usually done under local anesthesia, and the woman can return to work or normal activities the next day.  The MUSC physicians are experienced with hysteroscopy and have been using it routinely for more than 10 years to diagnose causes of abnormal uterine bleeding and to treat and remove polyps and fibroids.    Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.