Abdominal exploration

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Digestive system

Abdominal exploration

Definition:

Abdominal exploration is a surgical procedure that opens the abdomen (laparotomy) and explores it for problems. During a laparotomy, treatment of problems may also be administered.

Alternative Names:

Laparotomy; Exploratory laparotomy

Description:

The abdomen contains many vital organs:

Stomach
Small intestine (jejunum and ileum)
Large intestine (colon)
Liver
Spleen
Gallbladder
Pancreas
Uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries (in women)
Kidneys, ureters, and bladder

Some problems inside the abdomen can be easily diagnosed with noninvasive tests such as x-rays and CT scans, but many problems require surgery to explore the abdomen to obtain an accurate diagnosis.

While the patient is under general anesthesia, the surgeon makes an incision into the abdomen and examines the abdominal organs. The size and location of the incision depends on the clinical situation. Tissue samples (biopsies) can be taken and diseased areas can be treated.

When the procedure is complete, the incision is closed.

Indications:

Exploratory laparotomy may be recommended for diagnosis when there is abdominal disease from an unknown cause.

Diseases that may be discovered by exploratory laparotomy include the following:

Inflammation of the appendix (acute appendicitis)
Inflammation of the pancreas (acute or chronic pancreatitis)
Pockets of infection (retroperitoneal abscess, abdominal abscess, pelvic abscess)
Presence of uterine tissue (endometrium) in the abdomen (endometriosis)
Inflammation of the fallopian tubes (salpingitis)
Scar tissue in the abdomen (adhesions)
Cancer (of the ovary, colon, pancreas, liver)
Inflammation of an intestinal pocket (diverticulitis)
Hole in the intestine (intestinal perforation)
Pregnancy outside of the uterus (ectopic pregnancy)

This surgery may also be used to determine the extent of certain cancers, such as Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Review Date: 10/22/2004
Reviewed By: Brendan T. Campbell, MD, MPH, Department of Surgery, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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