Peritoneoscopy in a developing country

Peritoneoscopy in medical cases remains largely unpopular in the USA and the UK. In many developing countries there is often a heavy demand on medical facilities and the rapid diagnosis of intra-abdominal problems is of major importance. We present a series of 193 patients in whom peritoneoscopy was carried out during a 2 1/2-year period. Eighty-six per cent (166) of examinations yielded information of positive diagnostic value. The most common diagnoses were hepatocellular carcinoma, liver cirrhosis, bilharzial fibrosis and peritoneal tuberculosis. The peritoneoscopic appearances in the various lesions are illustrated and discussed. Peritoneoscopy is a safe procedure and its value in a developing country is great, both in terms of economy of man-hours employed and, more particularly, of diagnostic yield.