Emergency Peritoneoscopy: Report on 160 Cases

Abstract

Emergency peritoneoscopy in the hands of a well trained endoscopist is a safe and quickly performed investigation with a very high diagnostic accuracy. The procedure can be done without risk in severely ill or heavily traumatized patients. Intra-abdominal bleeding and localized or diffuse peritonitis can be recognized or excluded with certainty. The method is less secure for the diagnosis of mesenteric infarction in thc early stage. A pancreatitis cannot be established without visible fat necroses. Retroperitoneal, intragastric and intraintestinal lesions are in most cases beyond the possibilities of peritoneoscopy.