Abstract
Questinaires of the complication of peritoneoscopy were sent to the 406 main hospitals in Japan and the answers were got in 283 hospitals (69.7%). It revealed that peritoneoscopy had come into wide use in Japan but its complication had increased more than the increase of peritoneoscopy itself. Among the complications, pneumothorax or various embolisms was observed in 40.7%, hemorrhages was in 25.9%, and injuries of gastrointestinal tracts and shock were in 7.7% respectively. 88.8% of the complications occurred at the basic procedures such as insufflation (46.2%), liver biopsy (34.6%) and insertion of trocar (8.0%). And 63.4% of the complication was done by the operators who experience less than 200 cases. Length of years from the initial experience was not so important as cases experienced. Unskilled operators failed mainly at the time of insufflation. Experts sometimes caused severe complications in the patients with liver cirrhosis or hepatoma by liver biopsy or insertion of trocar. We thought education system and adequate carriculum should be established and conferences concerning complications should be organized for reduction of complication.
