Conscious sedation versus general anaesthesia for minilaparoscopic gamete intra-Fallopian transfer: a prospective randomized study

BACKGROUND: Gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT) is a successful technique for infertile women, and is performed almost exclusively by laparoscopy under general anaesthesia. METHODS: We performed a prospective randomized study of 67 infertile patients to assess the efficacy of minilaparoscopic GIFT under conscious sedation/local anaesthesia (group A) compared with general anaesthesia (group B). Operative and discharge times and pregnancy outcome were evaluated in both groups. RESULTS: Operative time was similar in both groups. The rate of patients discharged 2 h after surgery was significantly higher in group A. The necessity for postoperative analgesics was significantly higher in group B. No significant differences were noted between the two study groups in terms of pregnancy outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Conscious sedation and local anaesthesia will allow us to perform an outpatient minilaparoscopic GIFT without the need for general anaesthesia. The simplicity of the method, and the quicker discharge time in comparison with general anaesthesia, offer a detectable benefit for patients.