The Usefulness of Laparoscopic Surgery for Patients with Small-Bowel Disorders that have Developed into Acute Abdomen

Abstract

[Purpose] Laparoscopic surgery is the first choice for acute abdomen in our department following our exclusion criteria. We report herein on the usefulness of laparoscopic surgery for patients with small-bowel disorders that have developed into acute abdomen. [Subjects] From October 2008 to January 2012, we analyzed 23 patients with a small-bowel disorder that had developed into acute abdomen and who underwent laparoscopic surgery with regard to diagnosis, operative procedures, and complications. [Results] The responsible lesion was identified during the laparoscopic procedure in 17 of the patients. For the operative procedure, 7 underwent total laparoscopic surgery, 10 laparoscopic-assisted surgery, and 6 transitioned to open abdominal surgery, predominantly because of a poor operative field due to intestinal distention and adhesion. Four subjects developed postoperative complications that were not related to the laparoscopic procedures. [Conclusion] Laparoscopic surgery for a small-bowel disorder that develops into an acute abdomen was found useful for identifying the responsible lesion along with implementation of our exclusion criteria for the procedure. The patients were well managed in a less invasive and safe manner.