Laparoscopic staging of intra-abdominal malignancy

ABSTRACT

Forty-six patients with intra-abdominal malignancy underwent diagnostic laparoscopy just prior to their operation. All patients were candidates for curative resection of their tumors as proved by routine clinical, laparotomy, endoscopic and radiological examination [including CT]. Diagnostic laparoscopy was free of specific complications or mortalities. It contraindicated curative resection in 37% of cases, eliminated unnecessary exploration in 21.7% of patients and changed the operative plan to palliative operation in 12.5%. The main advantage of diagnostic laparoscopy appeared in detecting hepatic and peritoneal deposits, especially in pancreatic and hepatic tumors. Laparoscopy did not replace laparotomy in gastric, colonic and esophageal tumors as palliative resection or bypass operation was mandatory in these cases. However, diagnostic laparoscopy did not replace CT which may superior in assessing local infiltration