Thermal injury to the bowel as a complication of laparoscopic sterilization.

Thermal injury to the small bowel occurred four times in a series of 7466 consecutive laparoscopies and tubal cauterization performed for sterilization. The four patients presented with signs and symptoms of delayed bowel perforation 4 to 11 days after the procedure. The perforations were small and involved the antimesenteric border of the terminal ileum. Histologic study of the excised specimen in one case showed full thickness coagulative necrosis of the bowel wall. Potential causes for bowel burn associated with tubal cauterization are discussed. Steps to minimize the occurrence of this complication include proper use of the laparoscope and cautery equipment, good anesthesia and gas distension of the abdomen, correct positioning of the patient and clear visualization of the operative field.