[Laparoscopic ultrasound in biliary diseases].

Laparoscopic ultrasound is an intraoperative exploration of the abdominal viscera using ultrasounds. The aim of this work is to obviate this new method of exploration and to underline its advantages and limits. In this study were enroled 65 pacients with gallbladder stones, admitted in The Surgical Clinic, "Elias" Emergency Hospital, from October 2005 until December 2006. The measured parameters were CBD size and the presence of stones or sludge within CBD, and various methods were compared: abdominal ultrasound, laparoscopic ultrasound and laparoscopic cholangiography. The results allowed us to consider that laparoscopic ultrasound is a useful tool for the intraoperative diagnosis of choledocolithiasis. When compared to laparoscopic cholangiography, our study revealed the same specificity and positive predictive value, and a sensitivity of 0.93.