Risk and outcome of bowel injury during transvaginal pelvic endoscopy

Objective: To determine the risk and outcome of bowel injury associated with new techniques of transvaginal pelvic endoscopy. Design: A multinational retrospective survey based on confidential, self-reported cases. Setting: Tertiary referral centers for infertility. Patient(s): Infertile patients without obvious pelvic pathology. Intervention(s): Transvaginal hydrolaparoscopy and fertiloscopy. Main Outcome Measure(s): Full-thickness bowel injury. Result(s): Thirty-nine responders reported a total of 24 bowel injuries (0.65%) in 3667 procedures. After initial experience, the prevalence of bowel injury was 0.25%. All of the injuries were diagnosed during the procedure. Twenty-two (92%) of the cases were managed without consequences. Conclusion(s): The bowel lesion caused by the new techniques of transvaginal pelvic endoscopy tends to be minor and under strict conditions can be treated expectantly. (C) 2001 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.