CURRENT CONCEPTS IN THE USE OF CAVITARY ENDOSCOPY IN THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF BLUNT AND PENETRATING TRUNCAL INJURIES

The proliferation of endoscopic procedures in the general surgical patient has added cavitary endoscopy to the armamentarium of the trauma surgeon. It has provided us with a better way to diagnose certain injuries and avoid unnecessary laparotomies. The role of laparoscopy in penetrating injury to the thoracoabdominal region appears well established. Its use in other regions and types of injury is less clear. Thoracoscopy is receiving renewed interest in the management of penetrating chest injury but its exact role has yet to be defined.