General Abdominal Surgery

Abstract

General abdominal surgery is performed for diagnostic purposes, but is typically also part of more specific abdominal procedures. With the development of more sensitive and specific imaging procedures, such as helical CT, angiographic CT scans, PET, high-resolution ultrasound, and MRI scans, major improvements have occurred in nonoperative diagnosis. Although such investigations may abrogate the need for diagnostic abdominal surgery, either laparoscopic or open, there remains a definite place for diagnostic surgery of the abdomen. This chapter describes the risks and complications associated with laparotomy and laparoscopic surgery. These surgical procedures cover a wide spectrum of abdominal surgery from relatively straightforward laparoscopy to very complex. For other associated procedures, please refer to other chapters and volumes.