The efficacy of laparoscopic staging in patients with upper gastrointestinal tumors

Abstract

In this study, diagnostic laparoscopy may have prevented unnecessary laparotomies for exploration or palliation in 18% of all patients (40 of 226). The procedure is of doubtful benefit for patients with esophageal tumors because the current findings show that only 6% of explorative laparotomies could be prevented. In patients with periampullary tumors, the initial benefit was 15%, but the risk of a late laparotomy is relatively high (30%).