Staging Laparoscopy

P. Hohenberger

Laparoscopy in combination with laparoscopic ultrasonography is a new staging procedure for tumors of the abdomen. The treatment of several other tumor entities, such as pancreatic and gastric cancer, lymphoma, ovarian cancer, liver malignancies, is also improved by more accurate staging. Laparoscopic staging helps prevent unnecessary laparotomies, provides much less trauma to the patient, maximum information on tumor spread, and enables palliative procedures to be performed during the staging procedure. This book provides detailed guidelines on the aim and technique of laparoscopic staging and discusses the pathophysiological aspects and risks of laparoscopic staging (such as trocar metastases) on the basis of international experience.