Office laparoscopy under local anesthesia for gamete intrafallopian transfer: technique and tolerance

Abstract

To describe our technique for laparoscopic GIFT under local anesthesia and to evaluate patient tolerance and surgeon satisfaction in 175 consecutive procedures. Prospective cohort study. University infertility practice. All GIFT candidates from 1992 to 1996 were offered the procedure. Of 119 patients, 119 chose local anesthesia for 175 procedures and 1 patient elected to have general anesthesia. Transvaginal ultrasound-guided egg retrieval followed by GIFT in the clinic procedure room with a 5-mm laparoscope and two accessory 3-mm trocars with local anesthesia and i.v. sedation. Patient tolerance and acceptance, duration of the procedure, amount of analgesics, surgeon satisfaction, and pregnancy rate (PR). The laparoscopic portion lasted an average of 27 minutes, with a mean dose of 1.41 mg of midazolam and 68 micrograms of fentanyl used. Sixty-nine percent of the patients scored "very good," 20% "good," 9% "acceptable," and 2% "poor." All 38 patients undergoing 97 repeat procedures selected local anesthesia again. For women < 40 years of age, clinical PR and delivery rate were 43% and 38%, respectively. Routine office GIFT under local anesthesia is effective and well accepted by the surgeon and is preferred by patients. It offers a significant cost containment and scheduling flexibility in addition to high success rates.