Laparoscopic repair of acute surgical diseases in the 21st century.

Laparoscopic surgery has an increasing use in today's world of general surgery, especially in the treatment of diseases such as acute appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, diverticulitis, lysis of adhesions in the setting of small bowel obstruction, incarcerated or strangulated inguinal hernia, and perforated peptic ulcer disease. The aim of this paper is to discuss the diagnosis and management of each disease while placing emphasis on the role of laparoscopy in its treatment.