Advantages of the laparoscopic approach in the management of acute abdomen in Karbala governorate, Iraq

Abstract

Acute abdomen is a common surgical problem that needs experience and medical efforts to save lives and decrease diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. Laparoscopy is an excellent recent method to visualize the peritoneal cavity and give an accurate diagnosis of avoiding problems of management. The laparoscopic usage in the management of emergency help in - Early diagnosis as it considered as a diagnostic and therapeutic method. It has an important role in the avoidance of (negative) laparotomy. It also helps in shortening of the period of hospitalization and so decreases medical cost the role of laparoscopic approach in cosmetic and morbidity outcomes is very prominent. A prospective study was performed by following up of 60 patients of acute abdomen who admitted to the emergency unit of Al-Hussein teaching hospital. (All of the studied cases were investigated first by imaging investigations like (Ultrasonography and X-ray of chest and abdomen). The most frequent clinical features in this study were a pain- The most common local (abdominal) sign while the most common systemic sign was a fever. The most common condition is acute appendicitis (50%) sometimes accompanied by drainage of free fluids. Laparoscopic peptic perforation repair was done in 9% while 6% of cases were adhesive intestinal obstruction treated by freeing adhesolysis. Enteric perforations constituted 6% of cases. 5% of cases were ended with laparoscopic-assisted surgeries when 2combined approaches were needed, but the main role was for laparoscopy.