Failure of tubal sterilization accompanying cesarean section

Pomeroy tubal resection during cesarean section has had a reputation of a high failure rate, since a report of 7 failures in 400 (Prystowsky et al. Journal of the American Medical Association 158: 463. 1955). In this survey, 400 women sterilized by the Pomeroy technique after cesarean section were followed an average of 6 years. One failure occurred 2.5 years after the operation where there had been histologic evidence of complete section of the tube.