Laparoscopic repair of full-thickness bowel injury

Laparoscopic resection of full-thickness lesions of the anterior rectum followed by repair using a two-layer suture technique is described. Anterior rectal laceration occurred in two bowel-prepped women during excision of deep fibrotic endometriosis. Neither patient required subsequent surgery nor suffered any postoperative sequela. While not all rectal injuries are suitable for laparoscopic suture repair, in selected cases, bowel injury can be effectively managed laparoscopically without resorting to major abdominal surgery.