Although the incidence of subcutaneous emphysema in laparoscopic surgery is low, severe subcutaneous emphysema can lead to extensive subcutaneous tissue infection, abdominal wall cellulitis and carbon dioxide embolism, which can prolong the length of hospital stay, affect clinical prognosis and even threaten patients’ lives. The risk factors of subcutaneous emphysema in laparoscopic surgery include patients aged>65 years, BMI<25 kg/m², excessively long distance between the puncture site of Trocar and surgical site, excessively large angle between the direction of puncture and that of surgical site, repeated displacement of Trocar, number of surgical incision>4, operation time>6 h, high gas flow rate and intra-abdominal pressure, and robot-assisted surgery, etc. Surgeons should identify high-risk populations, perform each surgery cautiously, summarize surgical experience and improve clinical prognosis of patients. In this article, the risk factors of subcutaneous emphysema in laparoscopic surgery were reviewed, aiming to prevent the incidence of subcutaneous emphysema and reduce the risk of surgery.