Diagnostic laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows direct examination of the abdominal and pelvic organs. It is considered when tests and imaging cannot identify the cause of chronic pain, masses, adhesions or infertility. Its aim is to reach an accurate diagnosis and to take samples when needed.
It is usually performed under general anaesthesia. The surgeon makes a small cut near the navel, inserts a needle or tube to inflate the abdomen with carbon dioxide gas, and then passes in a thin telescope fitted with a camera. A few more small incisions may be made for instruments that help examine the organs or take a biopsy.
The operation often takes from about fifteen minutes to an hour, and many patients leave hospital the same day. Shoulder pain or bloating from the gas may last one to three days, and usual activities typically resume within a few days. Laboratory biopsy results usually come back within a period ranging from a few days to two weeks.
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It allows the internal organs to be seen directly and sampled, which can reveal causes that other tests miss, with smaller wounds and faster recovery than open surgery.
It may suit people with unexplained abdominal or pelvic pain, masses, or suspected adhesions, tumours or causes of infertility. The doctor decides whether it is appropriate after examination and imaging.
You are usually asked to fast for several hours before anaesthesia, to have blood tests and imaging beforehand, and to tell the doctor about any allergies and your medicines, especially blood thinners.
After general anaesthesia the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide and the telescope is passed through a small cut near the navel. The organs are examined, biopsies are taken if needed, then the gas is released and the incisions are closed.
Recovery is usually short. You may feel mild pain at the incision sites and in the shoulder, and bloating for a few days. Light activities resume quickly, while strenuous effort is avoided according to the doctor's instructions.
The doctor sees the organs during the procedure itself, while biopsies need laboratory examination, which may take from a few days to about two weeks.
Rarely, bleeding, infection, injury to a nearby organ or anaesthesia-related complications may occur, and in uncommon cases the surgeon may need to switch to open surgery.
It usually involves one to four small incisions, each about a centimetre long, which tend to fade into faint marks over time.
Travel is often possible after two or three days if recovery is going well, but the treating doctor should confirm the suitable date.
Sometimes a minor problem can be treated in the same session. It is best for the surgeon to discuss this possibility with you beforehand and obtain your consent.
