Morbidity of staging laparotomy in Hodgkin's disease.
The morbidity of exploratory laparotomy and splenectomy in Hodgkin's disease was determined at three institutions--a university hospital, a major university affiliated hospital and a large community hospital. Of the 90 patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy, 33 (37%) sustained a major or minor complication within two weeks of surgery. Seventeen patients (19%) sustained a minor complication and 16 patients (18%) a major complication. There was no mortality. A higher complication rate occurred in patients more than 28 years of age (p = 0.01), and in patients with advanced clinical stage when age was controlled (p = 0.05). We suggest that prior to performing an exploratory laparotomy in a given patient, the necessity of the procedure be weighed against its potential hazards.
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007813:Laparotomy; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013156:Splenectomy