MICROSURGICAL TUBAL ANASTOMOSES PERFORMED AS AN OUTPATIENT PROCEDURE BY MINILAPAROTOMY ARE LESS EXPENSIVE AND AS SAFE AS THOSE PERFORMED ASAN INPATIENT PROCEDURE

Objective: To determine the cost-effectiveness, safety, and success of microsurgical tubal anastomoses performed by minilaparotomy as an out patient. Design: Retrospective. Setting: Military tertiary care medica l center. Patient(s): Seventy consecutively seen a omen of reproductiv e age who were undergoing surgical reversal of sterilization from Augu st 1, 1993, through August 1, 1995. Intervention(s): Microsurgical ste rilization reversal by minilaparotomy was performed as an inpatient (g roup 1, 47 patients) or as an outpatient (group 2, 23 patients), Main Outcome Measure(s): Cost, complication rate, pregnancy rate. Result(s) : The procedure cost more for inpatients ($3,116) than for outpatients ($1,456). Pregnancy rates were similar (56% in group 1 vs. 75% in gro up 2). There was only one complication in the series. Conclusion(s): O utpatient microsurgical sterilization reversal performed by minilaparo tomy is as safe and effective as the inpatient procedure and is less e xpensive. (C) 1998 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.