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Objective: carrying out a detailed review of complications arising from laparoscopic surgery used in gynecology, emphasizing those related to entering the peritoneal cavity as being the most frequently presented. Materials and methods: a detailed search was made of literature published in English in PubMed/ MEDLINE, Ovid and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials using the following key words: "laparoscopic entry", "trocars injury", "laparoscopy complications", "laparoscopic injury" and "optical trocars". Metanalysis, randomized clinical studies, clinical guidelines, review articles and case series were mainly selected. Results: 36 articles, 2 metanalyses, 3 randomized clinical studies, 1 clinical guide, 11 systematic reviews, 10 topic reviews and 9 case series were selected. Complications rarely arise during laparoscopic surgery; they occur most frequently during entry and are generally of vascular, intestinal or urological origin. Complications may likewise be presented by pneumoperitoneum and electrosurgery. Less frequently occurring complications are neurological in origin or involve incisional hernias, metastasis at the entry site, infections, hematomas and adherence formation. Conclusions: laparoscopy represents a relatively safe procedure; however, great care must be taken when gaining access to the abdominal cavity as most complications occur during such entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]