ABSTRACT
The ever-expanding technology available to the practicing physician has made possible the luxury of defining intraabdominal pathology well in advance of a laparotomy. Nevertheless, from time to time surprises do arise with additional disease states or anatomic variations and the surgeon must make important decisions rapidly. This chapter highlights some unusual or unexpected findings and offers suggestions for managing them. We fully recognize that the management of many of these problems is controversial; in fact, that is precisely why these subjects have been selected. Although we are well aware that the list of surprises could extend almost without limit, we have chosen to focus on subjects that are not particularly uncommon yet present a dilemma to the surgeon. Suggested therapy may represent only a consensus of the authors.
