Quantitative peritoneal lavage in the assessment of intraperitoneal inflammatory processes

Quantitative peritoneal lavage in order to assess the volume of the intraperitoneal fluid was performed in 34 female patients with acute abdominal pain and signs of peritoneal irritation. The peritoneal lavage was done using the dye-dilution technique with Evans-Blue Human Serum Albumin Complex (EBA) as a marker. In 22 patients with intraperitoneal inflammatory process the mean volume of exudate in the peritoneal cavity was 585.1 ml while in patients without any intraperitoneal inflammatory process the mean volume of the intraperitoneal fluid was 128.7 ml. This difference between the volumes was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). It is felt that an intraperitoneal fluid volume of above 250 ml is a highly suggestive indicator of an intraperitoneal inflammatory process. A quantitative peritoneal lavage with EBA as a marker can therefore be used as a diagnostic tool in the evaluation of patients with acute abdominal pain.