الفهرس 
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Abstract
Surgical removal is the only modality that can lead to potentially cure for gastrointestinal cancers. A considerable proportion of patients undergo unnecessary major open abdominal exploratory operation (laparotomy) because their CT scan has underestimated the spread of cancer.
Laparoscopy is a valuable mean of evaluating intra-abdominal malignancies. With massive progress in the use of laparoscope as diagnostic and therapeutic tool in management of intra-abdominal pathology, it is the most reliable technique available for closing the diagnostic gap between staging radiological imaging and staging laparotomy.
Diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) can identify patients with occult metastatic disease that is not amenable to resection prior to an exploratory laparotomy and thereby avoid a non-therapeutic laparotomy.
Diagnostic laparoscopy is a safe and fast, minimal invasive procedure that can improve detection of peritoneal and liver metastasis by direct visualization with less morbidity and mortality than a formal laparotomy as it allow a better view of the entire peritoneal cavity than the usual exploratory incision.
The value of laparoscopy for staging of abdominal malignancy had been evaluated and compared to pre-operative CT. Diagnostic laparoscopy was done for 20 patients with known abdominal malignancy, those patients underwent clinical and radiological evaluation before laparoscopic evaluation. Laparoscopy were by far superior to CT imaging in detecting macroscopic liver and peritoneal deposits with sensitivity and specificity 100% &100% respectively and P value 0.008.
The main advantage offered by laparoscopy was that it eliminate unnecessary laparotomy in 5 (25%) patients and thus reduced the average post operative stay and delay in prophylactic radio-chemotherapy.
There was 1 case (5%) with minor complication in the form of port site bleeding at time of operation and controlled intraoperative, no major complication nor mortality.