Laparoscopic tubal sterilization was performed on 179 women using general anesthesia, and tubal sterilization via mini-laparotomy was performed in 52 cases using local anesthesia. The patients ranged in age from 25 to 41 years, with 73.2% between 31 and 40 years. The mean operative time of laparoscopy and mini-laparotomy were 14.2 and 11.6 minutes, respectively. Both the laparoscopy group and the mini-laparotomy group were found to be similar with regard to age, gravidity and number of abortions. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) was not observed in any patient during the follow-up period (3 months). Two wound infections were detected within the first week following mini-laparotomy, and these were treated on an out-patient basis by relevant antibiotics. Among the 179 patients in whom laparoscopic tubal sterilization was performed, tubal rupture occurred in 3 cases (1.67%) which were electrocoagulated easily, and unplanned laparotomy was performed in a patient in whom bowel injury during mini-laparotomy was suspected.