The lost needle: a laparoscopic dilemma

A case is presented in which a curved needle became lost during extracorporeal suturing in laparoscopic surgery. Maneuvers to find the needle were fruitless until an intraoperative x-ray showed it was stuck in the flapper mechanism of a laparoscopic cannula. Caution is given against the use of "pop-off" needles during extracorporeal suturing and an x-ray of cannulae is suggested when a lost needle cannot be found using routine maneuvers.