Trakia Journal of Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2010 87 Trakia Journal of Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp 87-90, 2010 Copyright © 2009 Trakia University Available online at: http://www.uni-sz.bg ISSN 1313-7050 (print) ISSN 1313-3551 (online) Mini-Review RELAPAROTOMY-DEFINITION AND ATTEMPT FOR A NEW CLINICAL CLASSIFICATION Y. Yovtchev*, St. Nicolov, N. Stanilov, Iv. Ovcharov, Al. Petrov Department of Surgical Diseases, University Hospital –Stara Zagora ABSTRACT In the last years as a result of heaping of clinical database connected with adequately and timely operative treatment in patents with postoperative complications existed а series of questions. First of all it was connected with the way of classification on the reasons that demanded new laparotomies. Аt the moment the offered classification for laparotomy shows our understanding for the leading causal connection to a certain degree. Although its priorities, there are some contradictions in combined cases. This makes us doing a review of the adopted classification and to try to bring her clinical meaning up to date. We hope it would help and facilitate the daily surgical work if, of course, it will be good received in medical surgical community. Key words: re-laparotomy, classification Under the name of the relaparotomy we understand doing of repeated laparotomy after run through a stomach operation before that.This term has a Greek origin and it has three parts in it re-repeated, lapara-stomach, tomie-cut up, i.e. a repeated exploratory operation of the stomach cavity. Some authors try to put the relaparotomy in a straight relation with the first operation. Тhey explain the surgical treatment of the complications, which are arisen after the operation of the abdominal organs, or the part of this treatment when it is not factually finished. It exists some misunderstanding about this definition. Thus, the relaparotomy can be done and for removing some diagnostically and tactical mistakes from the first operation and also in a new disease. According to (1) under the relaparotomy we understand “a new opening of the abdominal cavity in postoperative period, independently of the reason of the operation. Of course, this definition is also not a completely clear about what is this a relaparotomy, because it doesn’t ___________________________ * Correspondence to: Y. Yovtchev, Department of Surgical Diseases, University Hospital –Stara Zagora, E-mail: yovtchev@abv.bg point the duration of postoperative period and it doesn’t fix the time after the first operation. Mamich V. I. and co. (2) offers in the definition for a relaparotomy to consist the time of hospitality in surgical clinics – “аn interference, which accomplish in the time of hospitality in a surgical ward, after the first operation”. The reason that the patents are kept in the ward for different periods of time, often for months, is unclear and inaccurate in many cases. It doesn’t exist yet an exact distinction of the terms “repeated operation” and “relaparotomy”. The world famous surgeons like (3, 4), even they mix the term ”relaparotomy” with a reoperation in the early postoperative period. These authors think that reoperation as “early” until 14th and “lately” after 14 th from the first abdominal operation. They define as “lately” one and the reoperation which is done 30 days after the first one on purpose closure of intestinal fissures, colostomies or reconstructive operations of gastrointestinal or urogenital tract. Аs itself the term ”relaparotomy” means the next intervention in the abdominal cavity, so that the reoperation is combined definition and it can be also used for other types of the repeated operations in the stomach.