Tamer M Said Salama*
Background: With the beginning of laparoscopic era at the end of last century acute intestinal obstruction was one of relative contraindication of laparoscopy; however, with development of minimal invasive surgeries new vision was born for the use of laparoscopy in the management of acute intestinal obstruction. Aim of the study: This study aiming to evaluate the role of laparoscopy in management of acute intestinal obstruction as regard indication, technique, contraindication and complication. Material and methods: A systematic literature search was carried out using the Medline database and the search terms ‘‘laparoscopy’’ or ‘‘laparoscopic approach’’ and ‘‘bowel obstruction.’’ Only adult studies published in English between 1990 and 2016 were included. Studies were excluded if data specific to outcomes for laparoscopic management of acute intestinal obstruction could not be extracted. Conclusion: Laparoscopy is safe and effective tool for the management of acute intestinal obstruction provided if it performed by skilled surgeons and in selected patients.