Comparison of Smoke and Sprayback Leakage from Two Different Trocar Sleeves During Operative Laparoscopy

The smoke created during operative laparoscopy causes visual obstruction to the operative field and is harmful to breathe. Two commonly used trocar sleeves are compared to determine differential aerosol and gas leakage. This study shows that a simple trapdoor sleeve mechanism results in significant leakage of sprayback droplets and smoke compared to a sleeve that incorporates a vestibule between the trapdoor and a terminal gasket. (J GYNECOL SURG 9:65, 1993)