[Value of peritoneoscopy via natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in the diagnosis of peritoneal carcinomatosis].

Objective: To evaluate the value of peritoneoscopy via natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) in the diagnosis of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Methods: A total of 32 patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis were diagnosed by histological examination of biopsies at our hospital from April 2007 to October 2010. Their data of clinical manifestations, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, abdominal ultrasonography, abdominal computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ascitic cytology and transgastric peritoneoscopy via NOTES were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: Among them, gastrointestinal cancers were diagnosed by digestive endoscopy in 9 cases (28.1%). And ovarian lesions in 8 cases (25.0%), pancreatic cancer in 2 cases (6.3%), primary liver cancer in 2 cases (6.3%) and bile duct carcinoma in 1 case (3.1%) were suspected according to imaging examinations. No peritoneal carcinomatosis was found by digestive endoscopy or imaging examinations. Ascitic cytology was positive in 6 cases (18.8%). Peritoneal carcinomatosis was diagnosed by transgastric peritoneoscopy via NOTES with histological examination of biopsies in all patients. Their findings of transgastric peritoneoscopy via NOTES were divided into 5 types, i.e., mass type (n = 3, 9.4%), nodular type (n = 5, 15.6%), ulcerative type (n = 1, 3.1%), omentum-embracing type (n = 1, 3.1%) and mixture type (n = 22, 68.8%).

Conclusion: Transgastric peritoneoscopy via NOTES with histological examination of biopsies has important value in the pathologic diagnosis and the endoscopic typing of peritoneal carcinomatosis.