The role of diagnostic laparoscopy in chronic abdominal pain

Abstract

Background: Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) can be a diagnostic challenge inspite of being subjected to myriad of tests. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of laparoscopy in diagnosing patients having CAP of unknown origin and providing them best possible treatment. Methods: We studied 50 patients having CAP for ≥3 mons, with unremarkable clinical examination & basic investigations and unyielding imaging studies to assess the overall efficacy of diagnostic laparoscopy in finding a cause of CAP and response to pain after 3 months of procedure. Results: Highest incidence (32%) of CAP was seen in age group of 31-40 years. Pain relief was achieved in 92% cases post-laparoscopy. Most common observation on laparoscopy was abnormal appendix (30%), followed by abdominal tuberculosis (24%).10% cases required conversion to open laparotomy. Laparoscopic diagnosis correlated with histopathological findings in 95.5% cases. Conclusion: Diagnostic laparoscopy is a better, relatively cost-effective, and efficient method of establishing the diagnosis in patients with CAP.