ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the laparoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment for acute abdominal emergency. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 35 patients with an acute abdomen of unknown causes diagnosed and treated under laparoscope from December 1999 to April 2003 in this hospital. Results Diagnosis was confirmed by laparoscopy in all the 35 cases. Laparoscopic operation was successfully completed in 28 cases, whereas a conversion to open surgery was required in 7 cases, in which the site of incision was under the guidance of laparoscopic observations. No surgery-related deaths or wound-related complications occurred. The mean operative time was 48 min (range, 30~72 min), and the mean hospital stay was 5.8 days (range, 3~9 days). Conclusions Laparoscopy is not only a safe and accurate diagnostic method, but also a good procedure for treatment.