Laparoscopy: A tool In diagnosis of lower abdominal pain

BACKGROUND: Patients with lower abdominal pain in whom routine investigations are negative, continue to pose a challenge to the clinician. In many patients laparotomy is the only alternative.
AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate and establish role of diagnostic laparoscopy in unexplained lower abdominal pain in the era of therapeutic laparoscopy.
SETTINGS AND DESIGN: In this prospective study, patients with lower abdominal pain of more than 6 months duration, coming to surgery OPD of our institute, over a period of 27 months were considered for Diagnostic Laparoscopy if diagnosis was not possible with conventional methods.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Diagnostic laparoscopy was performed in 49 patients. These patients represented 25% of patients undergoing investigations for lower abdominal pain.
RESULTS: Laparoscopy yielded positive findings in 44 (90%) of these patients. Abdominal tuberculosis, appendicitis and gynaecological pathology were the major findings. Therapeutic procedures were performed in 18 patients (laparoscopically in 13). There was no complication in this series. So the patients who would have remained undiagnosed otherwise, were dignosed and given appropriate treatment.
CONCLUSION: This study establishes role of Diagnostic Laparoscopy as a safe and one of the most fruitful investigative tool in undiagnosed lower abdominal pain.