Laparoscopic repair of gastric perforation secondary to umbilical trocar insertion.

A postmenopausal woman was scheduled to undergo laparoscopic treatment of an 8-cm simple ovarian cyst. During abdominal entry, umbilical trocar insertion caused a gastric perforation that was diagnosed immediately and repaired laparoscopically. Following completion of the procedure, the patient was observed for 24 hours with a nasogastric tube in place and was discharged to home on the second postoperative day without further complications. The possibility of gastric distension and perforation is almost always present during laparoscopic abdominal entry. When perforation occurs, repair can be accomplished safely by laparoscopy.