| Abstrakt: |
To the Editor.—Occasionally, the physician's quest for a diagnosis is frustrated when a patient dies during an extensive workup and permission for an autopsy is denied. When intraperitoneal disease is suspected, laparoscopy with directed biopsies may be an acceptable alternative for the patient's family. The procedure can be performed in five to ten minutes through a 1-cm periumbilical incision. The family's concern about body mutilation or feeling that the patient has "suffered enough" may be overcome. When an autopsy is denied, postmortem laparoscopy can provide diagnostic information so important to a physician's clinical education. Legally authorized permission would, of course, be necessary. |
