Javed Ahmad, Saleem Khan, Muhammad Talat Mehmood, Zakiuddin Oonwala.
Laparoscopic surgery in children.
J Surg Pak Jan ;12(2):70-3.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of various laparoscopic procedures in paediatric population. Study Design: An analytical case series Place and Duration of Study: Various public and private sectors hospitals of Karachi, from January 2001 to December 2006. Patients & Methods: Case records of all paediatric patients who underwent laparoscopy for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes were reviewed. Age, sex, investigations, preoperative diagnosis, per operative diagnosis, procedure, duration of operation, hospital stay and intra-operative and post-operative complications where recorded. Patients with impalpable testes were excluded from the study as they are reported in another study. Results: During the study period, 19 paediatric patients underwent laparoscopy for different surgical conditions. Age ranged from 5 to 12 years. Eight patients were males and 11 females. Six patients underwent cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis. Investigations did not reveal any cause for cholelithiasis. Appendicectomy was performed in 7 cases. Two of them had interval appendicectomy, while five were operated for acute appendicitis. Out of 5, three had acute appendicitis while two had mesenteric lymphadenitis. Adhesiolysis was performed in five patients. Adhesions in four of them were due to tuberculosis, band, recurrent appendicitis and post-operative adhesions, while in fifth patient no cause could be ascertained. One patient underwent left varicocelecotmy. None of the patients required conversion to open surgery. There was no intra-operative complication while post-operative complications were minimal. Conclusion: We conclude that laparoscopic surgery is feasible, effective and safe in the management of a wide range of surgical conditions in children.

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