Quantitative peritoneal lavage in evaluating acute abdominal pain of gynecological origin

This study was performed in order to determine the value of assessing the volume of intraperitoneal fluid, the leucocyte count and the corrected leucocyte count in the peritoneal lavage in patients with acute abdominal pain of gynecological origin. Peritoneal lavage using the dye-dilution technique with Evans-Blue-Human Serum Albumin complex (EBA) as a marker was performed. It was found that an exudate volume of above 250 ml is highly suggestive of an intraperitoneal inflammatory process. The concentration of leucocytes and the corrected leucocyte count in the returned lavage fluid were found to be less reliable indicators of an inflammatory process in the peritoneal cavity than precise determination of the intraperitoneal exudate. It may be concluded that peritoneal lavage with EBA can be a useful adjunct in the evaluation of patients with acute abdominal pain of gynecological origin.