Injury to Urachal Diverticulum Due to Laparoscopy Port: A Case Report, Literature Review and Recommendations

Abstract

Minimally invasive surgery has gained widespread acceptance in elective and emergency situations due to reduced pain, length of hospital stay for patients and wider view of the operative field. However, it does bring its own set of specific risks and complications that must be kept in mind. Injury to the urinary bladder, in particular in the setting of an undiagnosed urachal abnormality can easily go unrecognized at the time of operation. Injury to an unsuspected urachal diverticulum due to laparoscopic port placement is an extremely rare complication due to the very low incidence of this abnormality. We report a case of a 10-year-old boy who sustained an injury to an urachal diverticulum during a routine laparoscopic appendicectomy and give recommendations to minimize the risk of injury to the urinary bladder or an associated urachal diverticulum. J Med Cases. 2015;6(1):1-5 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2000w