Laparoscopy in the emergency setting

Abstract

Laparoscopy has been available for 90 years and was actively undertaken by the gynecologists. Today the vast majority of gynecological procedures are performed by this route. Despite the efforts of a few enthusiastic surgeons, the general surgical community did not incorporate laparoscopy into their armamentarium until the advent of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, this endoscopic technique has much to contribute, especially in the setting of emergency care. It is of value in formulating a treatment algorithm and in avoiding unnecessary laparotomy in both blunt and penetrating trauma. Laparoscopy helps to define the nature of obscure abdominal diagnoses, avoids unnecessary appendectomy, and provides the window of opportunity for surgery in mesenteric ischemia due to either arterial or venous thrombosis or embolus. It is also of value in patients with pain or fever of unknown origin, displaced gastrostomy or dialysis tubes, and in the rare patient with gastrointestinal bleeding where other diagnostic modalities have been unable to yield the diagnosis. In this article the instrumentation and techniques will be outlined and the role of laparoscopy in each of the above situations will be detailed. As with all surgical procedures, it is vital that the surgeon be well-trained and knowledgeable about the correct use of the technique, its possible pitfalls and how to avoid them, as well as knowing the contraindications.