Laparoscopic repair of an iliac artery injury during radical cystoprostatectomy

Abstract

Laparoscopy has experienced significant growth in the last 5 years and became more popular among practicing urologists. Even though laparoscopy is considered a safe technique it is not free of complications, some of which can be devastating. Vascular injuries are the second most frequent complication during laparoscopic surgery with a reported incidence of 0.22% to 1.1%. With the standardization of surgical techniques and the increasing proficiency of the teams performing it, serious surgical complications may be corrected without the need for conversion. We report a case in which the right external iliac artery was injured while pelvic lymph node dissection was carried out before a planned laparoscopic radical cystoprostatectomy. The complication was successfully managed entirely by means of laparoscopy. © 2008 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.