Primary peritonitis is defined as peritoneal infection without an evident intraperitoneal septic focus. This is a rare condition and few cases are reported in the literature. We report a case of primary peritonitis in a 23-year-old female that was diagnosed and treated laparoscopically. The challenge for the surgeon is to consider the possibility of this diagnosis, and to avoid conversion to laparotomy in search of a hypothetical septic focus when none is apparent on laparoscopy.
Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.