diagnostic peritoneal lavage (dpl) is considered by many as the most important investigation for the early detection of intraperitoneal injury. the aim of this study is to assess the accuracy of dpl as a diagnostic method in evaluating abdominal trauma. a prospectively maintained database of all dpls performed in the past 36 months at sina hospital was analyzed. information relative to the type...

abstract background: there are a large number of patients with penetrating abdominal trauma who have normal vital signs and negative abdominal examination when referred to trauma centers. agreat deal of controversy exists between authorities about screening these patients for emergency explorative laparotomy. many references have reported more than 90% sensitivity for dpl as a diagnostic method...

BACKGROUND The management of penetrating abdominal stab wounds has been the subject of continued reappraisal and controversy. In the present study a novel method which combines the use of diagnostic laparoscopy and DPL, termed laparoscopic diagnostic peritoneal lavage (L-DPL) is described METHOD Five trauma patients with penetrating injuries to the lower chest or abdomen were included. Standa...

Diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) is an emergency diagnostic procedure performed when intra-abdominal bleeding secondary to trauma is suspected. This procedure is part of the surgical skills section of the Advanced Trauma Life Support course. DPL is traditionally taught using anesthetized animals or cadavers. For reasons described below, these alternatives are not ideal. We have developed a co...

A 40-year-old man suffered severe orthopaedic and maxillo-facial injuries in a motor vehicle accident. After resuscitation he underwent extensive orthopaedic surgery to manage his fractures. A diagnostic peritoneal lavage just prior to his operation revealed a red blood cell count of 0.15 x 10(12)/L and white blood cell count of 3.3 x 10(12)/L. However, as the patient was haemodynamically stabl...

BACKGROUND Peritoneal lavage cytology in the staging of pancreatic cancer is not widely used given improvements in computed tomography (CT). The aim of this study was to determine the utility of peritoneal lavage cytology in predicting survival in locally advanced pancreatic cancer. METHODS Between 2000 and 2008, 202 patients with biopsy-proven pancreatic cancer who were determined by pancrea...