LAPAROSCOPIC ULTRASOUND IN THE STAGING OF PATIENTS FOR HEPATIC RESECTION AND CRYOSURGERY - 2 CASE-REPORTS

Intra-operative ultrasound has been shown to be an excellent adjunct t o staging for hepatic resection and cryosurgery. Current technical dev elopments in laparoscopic ultrasound has made possible the investigati on of this modality for the minimally invasive staging of hepatic mali gnancy. Presented in this article are two cases that illustrate the po tential benefits of such an approach. In one case a patient thought to be a potential resection candidate was excluded from having a major l aparotomy when laparoscopic ultrasound demonstrated unsuspected diseas e. Another patient is presented who was felt to have untreatable disea se; however, the minimally invasive alternative of laparoscopic ultras ound revealed the patient amenable to combined cryosurgery and resecti on.