Role of diagnostic laparoscopy in chronic and recurrent abdominal pain

Abstract

Chronic abdominal pain is a very common condition presenting to a general surgeon. It is defined as pain lasting for more than 3 months. Sometimes, the diagnosis cannot be established even with the help of advanced radiological investigations. This study aims to define the role of laparoscopy in diagnosing the cause of chronic abdominal pain and thus enabling a definitive management. The study included 52 patients admitted to the Department of Surgery, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun, India for chronic abdominal pain of unknown origin. All patients underwent diagnostic laparoscopy with methodical inspection of the whole abdomen. Diagnosis was established in 86.5% of cases either by direct visualization or histopathological examination. The most common pathology was chronic appendicitis (19%) followed by adhesions (17.3%) and peritoneal tuberculosis (15.3%). A therapeutic procedure was done in 46% of cases during laparoscopy. No major complication was reported during the study. Laparoscopy is a safe and effective method to diagnose the cause of chronic abdominal pain in cases where other non-invasive methods prove unreliable.