A laparoscopy also known as a diagnostic laparoscopy is a surgical diagnostic procedure used to examine internal organs of abdomen such as liver, spleen or intestines. It is a minimally invasive procedure that carries lower risk of complications compared to open surgery. It also has faster recovery period for patients.
A diagnostic laparoscopy is used when physical examination and additional laboratory tests did not reveal the cause of symptoms reported by the patient. It can by also used to collect tissue samples to establish the final diagnosis. During the procedure, a laparoscope is inserted into abdominal cavity through small incision of the abdominal wall, which allows the surgeon to carefully examine the internal organs. If necessary, the scope of the procedure may be extended depending on the intraoperative situation.
The indications for diagnostic laparoscopy include:
- Abdominal pain.
- Tumors of abdominal cavity (in order to collect samples for histopathological examination).
- Ascites.
- Liver diseases.
- And others (determined individually for clinical cases).
