Complications of laparoscopy--operative and diagnostic.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the characteristics and rates of complications for operative laparoscopy and diagnostic laparoscopy.

DESIGN

Retrospective review.

SETTING

Tertiary-care university hospital.

PATIENTS

Two thousand three hundred twenty-four patients undergoing operative laparoscopy or diagnostic laparoscopy.

INTERVENTIONS

Operative laparoscopy including lysis of adhesions, tubal surgery, ovarian surgery, uterine surgery, or destruction of endometriosis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Complication rates for operative and diagnostic laparoscopies were tabulated and compared.

RESULTS

The overall major complication rate for this series of 2,324 laparoscopies was 0.22%. There were five major and 15 minor complications. In the operative laparoscopy group, there were more complications from Veress needle and trocar insertion (n = 15) than from the actual operative procedures (n = 3). There were more total complications in the operative laparoscopy group (n = 18) than in the diagnostic laparoscopy group (n = 3).

CONCLUSION

Operative laparoscopy is efficacious for a variety of gynecologic surgical procedures.