Diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy for stab wounds of the anterior abdomen.

Background: At present, laparoscopy is used mainly as a diagnostic tool in patients with abdominal stab wounds.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-two hemodynamically stable patients with isolated stab wounds of the anterior abdomen, thought to be penetrating, were prospectively selected to undergo treatment via a laparoscopic approach. When possible, parenchymal wounds were coagulated or sealed, and wounds to the intestines were sutured or stapled.

Therapeutic laparoscopy for blunt abdominal trauma with bowel injuries.

In the setting of abdominal trauma, laparoscopy is used mainly for diagnosis, and its role in definitive operative repair is still debated. We report the case of a 50-year-old woman who underwent diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy after being subjected to blunt abdominal trauma in a traffic accident. Multiple injuries to the small bowel and colon were repaired laparoscopically with a favorable outcome.