Laparoscopy in emergency surgery of rare atypical diseases

OBJECTIVE To analyze the capabilities of laparoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of atypical diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS Laparoscopy was performed in 5188 patients with established, suspected and unclear diagnosis of acute surgical diseases for the period from 2008 to 2018. Rare atypical diseases were diagnosed in 114 (2.2%) patients. These diseases simulated established and suspected clinical diagnoses in 100 (87.7%) cases, and the diagnosis was unclear in 5 (4.4%) cases. In 9 (7.9%) patients, atypical diseases were concomitant. In 7 cases, atypical diseases competed with the underlying disease and required emergency surgery. Conservative treatment was required in 2 cases. Seventy (61.4%) patients with atypical diseases needed emergency surgery, and 44 (38.6%) patients required conservative treatment. Laparoscopic operations were performed in 61 (87.1%) patients including simultaneous procedures in 8 cases and video-assisted interventions in 2 (2.9%) patients. Laparotomy was applied in 7 (10.0%) patients. RESULTS Histological examination confirmed laparoscopic diagnosis in 66 out of 68 specimens. Cells of mucus-forming adenocarcinoma were detected in one resected epiploic appendix, carcinomatosis - in one segment of resected omentum. CONCLUSION Video-assisted laparoscopy was valuable to establish a diagnosis and determine surgical strategy, detect competing and concomitant diseases, perform operations including simultaneous procedures.