Diagnostic pneumoperitoneum.

Pneumoperitoneum as a diagnostic procedure has been practised for many years but there is a reluctance to make use of it. The author believes that this is due in some degree to lack of clearly defined indications and partly to lack of confidence in the safety of the procedure. In this paper the technique of diagnostic pneumoperitoneum is described and the risks are examined. Indications for its use are described. Finally, three case histories of special relevance are described and a summary of the results is tabulated with a view of giving an estimate of the diagnostic value which may be expected.