Duodenal laceration presenting as massive hematemesis and multiple intraabdominal abscesses after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is considered the gold standard for gallstone disease. Nevertheless, possible severe complications must not be underestim ated. Bowel injuries are uncommon, but they are one of the most lethal tech nical complications of laparoscopic surgery. These injuries were commonly u nrecognized at the time of procedures and were diagnosed later when the pat ients experienced sepsis, peritonitis, intraabdominal abscess, or enterocut aneous fistula. Although duodenal lacerations have been reported with lapar oscopic cholecystectomies, they seem to be rare; approximately 30 such case s have been documented previously in the English literature. We report the case of a patient with thermal duodenal injury caused by elective laparosco pic cholecystectomy at an outside center presenting as massive hematemesis and multiple intraabdominal abscesses on the ninth postoperative day. The d iagnosis and management of this rare complication of laparoscopic cholecyst ectomy are described, and the literature is reviewed.