Pneumoperitoneum: its alternatives

The purpose of this study was to determine the advantages and disadvantages of several techniques for performing the pneumoperitoneum. We studied 75 patients divided into three groups of 25 each. In the first group, we used the Veress needle technique in the umbilicus. In the second group, the insertion was in the upper left quadrant, and in the third group the insertion was direct with a disposable trocar in the umbilicus without pneumoperitoneum. In the first group, we made 32 attempts, and the time varied from 8 to 35 min. In the second group we made 28 attempts and the time was from 3 to 6 min. In both we had complications. In the third group, we made 25 direct insertions without complications, and the time was from 45 s to 3 min.