Exploratory Laparotomy

About Exploratory Laparotomy

Exploratory laparotomy is an operation in which the abdomen is opened through a large incision, usually down the midline, so the surgeon can directly examine the abdominal organs and treat what is found. It is most often performed in emergencies, such as penetrating or blunt abdominal trauma with internal bleeding, perforation of the bowel, peritonitis, bowel obstruction or ischemia, when the condition of the patient does not allow detailed investigation or when imaging cannot fully explain the problem. Depending on the findings, the operation may include control of bleeding, repair or removal of injured bowel, drainage of infection or creation of a stoma. In severely injured trauma patients, surgeons may perform damage control laparotomy, a shortened operation to control bleeding and contamination, leaving the abdomen temporarily open before definitive repair once the patient has stabilized. With the widespread availability of CT imaging and laparoscopy, purely diagnostic laparotomies have become less frequent, and diagnostic laparoscopy is often used instead when the patient is stable.