Puerperal Tubal Ligation Morbidity, Histology and Bacteriology

A randomized, prospective study of the relationship of morbidity to the time interval between delivery and puerperal tubal ligation was carried out. There was no correlation between time-interval and the incidence of postoperative morbidity. Positive endometrial cultures were obtained from 36.7% of patients and positive tubal cultures from 28.9%, which showed no correlation with time delay. There was significantly less histologic salpingitis in cases done within 36 hours after delivery. There was a strong correlation between histologic salpingitis and positive tubal cultures. However, postoperative morbidity did not correlate with either abnormal tubal histology or positive tubal cultures.