Peritoneoscopy: A valuable technic for surgeons.

1. Modern peritoneoscopy which uses advanced optics and instrumentation now available is a valuable technic that can and should be learned by surgeons. 2. Peritoneoscopy is a safe procedure with a high diagnostic yield and minimal discomfort and inconvenience to the patient. 3. Earlier and more frequent use of peritoneoscopy will enable the surgeon to give appropriate surgical treatment more promptly and avoid unnecessary exploratory celiotomy. 4. The value of this technic in seventy-five consecutive cases is reported. There was no mortality and negligible morbidity. The over-all diagnostic accuracy was 91 per cent. An accurate peritoneoscopic diagnosis avoided surgical exploration in forty-five patients, and in fifteen patients the peritoneoscopic diagnosis provided indications for prompt abdominal surgery.