Ultrasound-Guided Veress Needle Insertion in Laparoscopic Surgery: Safety and Efficacy Evaluation

Aim: In laparoscopic surgery, abdominal access is one of the most critical steps with significant risk of complications, especially in high-risk patient groups. The Veress needle is a widely used technique for this access; however, serious complications can occur during its blind insertion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided Veress needle placement. Materials and Methods: This randomized prospective study was conducted at Suleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine. The 100 study participants were randomly assigned to receive ultrasound-guided or blinded Veress needle insertion. In both groups, insertion attempts, time, and complications were assessed. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results: In 88% of the ultrasound-guided accesses, success was achieved on the first attempt, while this rate was 82% with the conventional method (p=0.28, not statistically significant). Total access time was shorter with ultrasound guidance with 92.6 ± 14.2 seconds compared to 100.4 ± 15.3 seconds with the conventional method (p=0.05). No major complications were observed in either group; there was no statistical difference in complications. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that ultrasound-guided Veress needle insertion is a potential alternative to the traditional blind method and improves access time and success rates. However, the results cannot be generalized with certainty as there was no statistically significant difference in the study. A larger sample size and multicenter studies are needed to confirm the findings.