[Laparoscopy in the treatment of intestinal invagination in children].

The experience with laparoscopy in diagnosis and treatment of intestinal invagination in 142 children aged from 2 months to 11 years (study group) is reviewed. Endoscopic desinvagination was performed when conservative (pneumoirrhigoscopy) treatment was ineffective or hospitalization of patients was late. The invaginate was straightened out under video-control with two atraumatic forceps-graspers introduced into abdominal cavity and simultaneous pumping of air into the large intestine. This method permitted to cure completely intestinal invagination in 126 (88.7%) patients without laparotomy. In the control group (50 children aged from 3 months to 2 years) traditional surgery (laparotomy) was performed. Mean time of laparoscopic desinvagination was 32.6 min, time of surgery in the control group - 65 min. Postoperative complications in the study group were 5 times more rare than in the control. Mean time of hospitalization in the study group was decreased 3 times compared with the control. There were no lethal outcomes in both groups. Laparoscopic desinvagination is safe and high-effective procedure in the treatment of intestinal invagination in children.