BACKGROUND: Reoperation rate has not been well studied as a primary outcome when comparing laparoscopic with open approaches for colorectal resection. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of a laparoscopic approach on rate of reoperation after elective segmental colectomy. METHODS: The NSQIP PUF for 2005-2011 was used to retrospectively identify patients who underwent open or laparoscopic elective segmental colectomy. The primary outcome measure was 30-day reoperation rate. A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to determine the independent effect of surgical approach on rates of unplanned reoperation. This was validated with inverse propensity score weighting. RESULTS: A total of 39,063 patients met the study inclusion criteria. A total of 1,702 reoperations were identified. After open approach, 5.1 % required reoperation, compared to 3.8 % in the laparoscopic group. After adjusting for confounders, open resection had 1.17-fold higher odds than laparoscopy for risk of reoperation, but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). DISCUSSION: Using a large clinical dataset, we found that for segmental colectomy, there was not a statistically significant difference in odds of return to the operating room for laparoscopic versus open surgical approach. Reoperation is a relatively rare but costly complication and remains a potential area for quality improvement.