A case-control study of uterine perforations documented at laparoscopy.

A case-control analysis was done of 19 cases of uterine perforations which occurred during laparoscopic sterilization at Gardy Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, between February 1, 1974, and January 31, 1976. The over-all perforation rate, 30.4 per 1,000 procedures, is three to 30 times that commonly reported for dilatation and suction or sharp curettage (D&C) of the uterus. Case women were 10.4 times more likely than control women to combine two of the following three characteristics: age greater than 34, parity greater than 4, and obesity greater than 20 per cent above the ideal body weight for height. Surgeons with fewer months of formal Ob/Gyn training were no more likely than their relatively more experienced colleagues to perforate the uterus. No other risk factors were delineated. It is believed that the perforation rate, higher in this study than in earlier ones, reflects better ascertainment of perforations. The bleeding site was always visualized with the laparoscope in this series.