[Peroperative desaturation during gynaecological laparoscopy-hysteroscopy: an unknown aetiology, pleural...

A 41-year-old patient presented several episodes of desaturation during a gynaecological laparoscopy. The major complication of this procedure is the venous air embolism. Several other side-effects have been reported: heart rate disorders, subcutaneous emphysema or pneumothorax. Pleural effusions during gynaecologic laparoscopy are apparently rare and the volume of effusion must be important to induce clinical symptoms. This fact can probably explain the frequent difficulty of diagnosis. The role of the diaphragmatic lymphatic network and other physiologic aspects are discussed in this article.