This procedure is performed when intra-abdominal bleeding (hemoperitoneum), usually secondary to trauma, is suspected. In a hemodynamically unstable patient with high-risk mechanism of injury, peritoneal<unk>  is a means of rapidly diagnosing intra-abdominal injury requiring laparotomy, but has largely been replaced in trauma care by the use of a focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST scan) due to its repeatability, non-invasiveness and non-interference with subsequent computed tomography (CT scan). Abdominal CT and contrast duodenography may complement<unk>  in stable patients, but in an unstable or uncooperative persons, these studies are too time-consuming or require ill-advised sedation. Magnetic resonance imaging is extremely accurate for the anatomic definition of structural injury, but logistics limit its practical application in acute abdominal trauma. The procedure was first described in 1965 by Hauser Root.
Diagnostic peritoneal lavage
Exploratory laparotomy
Exploratory surgery
Splenic aspiration
Peritoneal washing
Peritoneal equilibration test
Abdominal x-ray
Whole bowel irrigation