Laparoscopic surgery in children--anaesthetic considerations.

Laparoscopic surgery has several advantages over conventional surgery for the patient. An increasing number of diagnostic and surgical procedures are being done laparoscopic not only in adults but also in paediatrics patients. In addition to the routine anaesthetic considerations for any surgical patient, the choice of the anaesthetic technique in patients undergoing laparoscopic procedures should consider the patient's underlying cardio respiratory functions induced by the pneumoperitoneum and carbon dioxide [CO2] insufflations. This article describes the physiological alterations induced by laparoscopic procedures in children and the anaesthetic implications of laparoscopic in the paediatric patient population.