A procedure in which a body cavity is punctured with a needle from the outside to remove fluid for analysis, to relieve pressure from excess fluid, or to instil drugs.
The puncture by hollow needle or TROCAR and CANNULA of any body cavity (e.g. abdominal, pleural, pericardial), for tapping or aspirating ?uid. (See ASPIRATION.)
n. tapping: the process of drawing off fluid from a part of the body through a hollow needle or *cannula. In ophthalmology, it involves an incision into the anterior chamber of the eye.
(hydroperitoneum) n. the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, causing abdominal swelling. Causes include infections (such as tuberculosis), heart failure, *portal hypertension, *cirrhosis, and various cancers (particularly of the ovary and liver): the presence of malignant cells in the fluid, revealed by cytological examination, is usually evidence of secondary spread. Obstruction to the drainage of lymph from the abdomen results in chylous ascites (see chyle). Pancreatic ascites, due to direct communication between the pancreatic duct and the peritoneal cavity, usually following trauma or severe pancreatitis, is diagnosed by very high amylase levels in aspirated ascitic fluid. Treatment includes diuretics and ascitic drainage (paracentesis) if there is associated respiratory distress. See also oedema.... ascites
(SBP) the presence of infection in the abdominal cavity without an obvious cause (see peritonitis). SBP occurs in patients with liver disease (and occasionally in those with nephrotic syndrome) due to *portal hypertension. This leads to the build-up of large volumes of peritoneal fluid (*ascites) in which infection takes hold and propagates. Patients experience fever, nausea, abdominal pain, further accumulation of ascites, and they may develop *hepatic encephalopathy with rapid deterioration. Diagnosis is made by *paracentesis culture of the ascitic fluid to confirm the presence of bacteria. Treatment includes antibiotics.... spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
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