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pneumoperitoneum

Presence of air or gas in the peritoneal cavity. Etiology: 1) pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis 2) ischemic bowel 3) bowel perforation (colonoscopy) 4) artificially induced to attain exposure during laparoscopic surgery Radiology: - abdominal films (upright & lateral decubitus) shows air rising in the abdominal cavity Management: - laparoscopic repair of perforated bowel [2]

References

  1. Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999.
  2. Di Saverio S, Catena F Rotation of the Liver in Pneumoperitoneum. N Engl J Med 2014; 371:e29. November 13, 2014 PMID: 25390758 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1400032