title: Digitally assisted laparoscopic drainage of multiple intraabdominal abscesses.
abstract: Laparoscopic drainage of multiple walled off intraabdominal abscesses may be difficult to perform safely due to a lack of tactile sensation. A single finger introduced through a small abdominal incision can be used to aid in the dissection and may obviate the need for open laparotomy in some cases. Digitally-assisted laparoscopic exploration and dissection utilizes the superior visualization of laparoscopy without completely sacrificing the benefits of tactile sensation. A case is reported in which this technique was successfully employed to drain multiple intraabdominal abscesses in a young boy.
authors.affiliation: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY.
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Gregor
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Boley
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kleinhaus
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000038:Abscess / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000601:surgery*; D004210:Dissection / Q000379:methods; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D005385:Fingers; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000601:surgery*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D014110:Touch