[Laparoscopy in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen]

The work analyses the results of emergency laparoscopy in 4,730 patients with acute surgical pathology of the abdominal organs. There were 26.3% of males and 73.7% of females; 26.5% of patients were of an elderly age. Laparoscopy was undertaken in all cases in which the diagnosis was questionable but the clinical picture was that of "acute abdomen" and in patients with an established diagnosis for conducting therapeutic manipulations: microcholecystostomy, drainage of the abdominal cavity. The authors show differential endoscopic signs of some acute surgical diseases of the abdominal organs. Laparoscopy confirmed the clinical diagnosis in 45.5% of cases and revealed indications for an emergency operation in 896 patients (33.8%). Laparoscopic microcholecystostomy was performed 137 times and drainage of the abdominal cavity 398 times. The diagnostic value of laparoscopy came to 97.1% on the average.