Laparoscopy in Abdominal Trauma

Purpose of Review: Exploratory laparotomy is the traditional therapeutic approach in patients with abdominal trauma. However, due to potential associated morbidity and mortality, avoiding unnecessary laparotomies is an important issue. Recent Findings: While selective nonoperative management has shown good results, certain clinical situations in hemodynamically stable patients, where the need for surgery could be in doubt, call for proactive diagnosis. In these cases, laparoscopy can be used to exclude or diagnose potential injuries requiring surgery. When the surgeon has the necessary expertise, some of these injuries can be treated laparoscopically. Summary: Over the last decades, diagnostic and therapeutic applications of laparoscopy have increased, with reported reduction in nontherapeutic laparotomies. Furthermore, shorter duration of hospital stay, faster recovery, and reduced costs have been reported. However, as seen in other minimally access interventions, safe implementation of laparoscopy in trauma care requires adequate surgical training and skills as well as appropriate staffing and equipment. © 2016, Springer International Publishing AG.