The effect of laparoscopy in chronic pelvic pain on quality of life

Abstract

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a problem facing gynecologists. Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique used for both diagnosis and treatment of CPP. This study aimed to investigate the determination of women with pelvic pain who will benefit from diagnostic laparoscopic surgery and its effect to on quality of life. A prospective designed study conducted between October 2013 - August 2015 including 90 patients at University of Health Sciences, Zekai Tahir Burak Women Health Care, Training and Research Hospital, Turkey. While 45 patients in reproductive age with complaints of non-cyclic pelvic pain for more 6 months constituted the study group, 45 patients with no active complaints who admitted for laparoscopic tubal ligation constituted the control group. Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Visual Analog Scala (VAS) Questionnaire was applied to patients in preoperative and postoperative periods. While VAS score in study group patients before surgery was 6,91±0,92, it was 4,33±1,64 after surgery (p<0.001). In addition, there were statistically significant difference between SF-36 Physical Health and SF-36 Mental Health scores before and after surgery. There was a significant improvement in quality of life in the study group. Laparoscopic approach should be preferred for direct visualization and immediate treatment in patients with CPP. Laparoscopy keeps its importance for patients with CPP, improving quality of life.