Evaluation of Open (Hasson's) and Closed (Veress) Technique of Intraperitoneal Access for Creation of Pneumoperitoneum in Laparoscopic Surgery

Background The creation of pneumoperitoneum is the first step in any laparoscopic surgery. There are various methods of creating pneumoperitoneum which can be divided into open or closed methods. The closed method involves the blind insertion of the Veress needle into the peritoneal cavity. The open technique involves making an incision and then dissecting the fascia to the peritoneal cavity to introduce the cannula under direct vision. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of open (Hasson's) and closed (Veress) techniques of intraperitoneal access for the creation of pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic surgery. Material and methods The study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. This was a prospective observational study and a total of 100 patients of laparoscopic surgeries fulfilling inclusion criteria were included in the study - 50 patients in group A undergoing the open method of creating pneumoperitoneum and 50 patients in group B undergoing the closed method of creating pneumoperitoneum were evaluated for the study period of 18 months from October 2020 through June 2022. Results The mean time to create pneumoperitoneum was 5.3 ± 1.41 minutes in the open method and 6.21 ± 1.36 minutes in the closed method. The mean time for umbilical port closure in our study was 7.33 ± 1.66 in the open group and 8.86 ± 2.19 in the closed group. In our study, there was no vascular or visceral injury noted in either of the methods used for the creation of pneumoperitoneum. Post-operative complications were almost equal in both the groups. Conclusions Both open and closed methods of intraperitoneal access are safe and effective for the creation of pneumoperitoneum during abdominal laparoscopy. The open method of creating pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic surgery is a quicker method for the creation of pneumoperitoneum as compared to the closed method of intraperitoneal access.