The exploratory laparotomy is very good diagnostic and should be used that way. Unfortunately we often use the term “Ex Lap” as any time we go into the abdomen to find a foreign body. If there is no foreign body then we call it a negative ex lap.
One should never leave an ex lap without answers, so NEVER come out of an ex lap without having taken biopsies; liver, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and enlarged lymph nodes. There may not have been a foreign body, but there is a reason why the patient is presented with GI signs. The reason may simply be microscopic.
Watch the video for other ex lap tips.
