Laparoscopic technique for small bowel biopsy

The mid-small bowel is relatively inaccessible to the endoscopist. Barium follow-through examination may present a differential diagnosis which includes Crohn's disease and lymphoma. In the past, laparotomy and small bowel biopsy were the only methods to obtain a definitive diagnosis. A laparoscopic technique for taking a full-thickness small bowel biopsy specimen is described.