[Laparoscopy in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of ascites]

Ascites was found in 772 (30,89%) from all the 2500 laparoscopy examined patients. Ascites was due to liver cirrhosis in 57.78 per cent of the patients, to peritoneum carcinosis in 26.29 per cent and to primary and metastatic liver carcinoma in 12.95 per cent, to tuberculous peritonitis in 1.42 per cent and more seldom to some other diseases. A reliable diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, malignant tumors and the rest of the liver diseases, progressing with ascites is made by laparoscopy. Laparoscopy with a biopsy of peritoneum and liver is of decisive importance in the differentiation of peritoneum carcinosis and tuberculosisé. The clinico-laboratory diagnosis in carcinosis coincides completely with the laparoscopic one, the histologic--in 24.5 per cent, partially in 45.5 per cent and in 30 per cent it fails completely to coincide.