Do not eat or drink anything for 8 hours before the test. You must sign a consent form.

If you are given general anesthesia, you will feel no pain during the procedure, although the surgical cuts may throb and be slightly painful afterward. Your doctor may prescribe medicine to relieve pain.

With local anesthesia, you may feel a prick and a burning sensation when the local anesthetic is given. The laparoscope may cause pressure, but there should be no pain during the procedure. Afterward, you may also feel soreness at the site of the surgical cut. A pain reliever may be prescribed by your doctor.

You may also have shoulder pain for a few days, because the gas used during the procedure can irritate the diaphragm, which shares some of the same nerves as the shoulder. You may also have an increased urge to urinate, since the gas can put pressure on the bladder.

The examination helps identify the cause of pain in the abdomen and pelvic area. It is done after other, noninvasive tests.

Laparoscopy may detect or diagnose the following conditions:

• Appendicitis
• Cancer, such as ovarian cancer
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Endometriosis
• Inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis)
• Pelvic inflammatory disease

The procedure may also be done instead of open surgery after an accident to see if there is any injury to the abdomen.

Major procedures to treat cancer, such as surgery to remove an organ, may begin with laparoscopy to rule out the presence of cancer spread (metastatic disease), which would change the course of treatment.

Images

Pelvic laparoscopy

Incision for abdominal laparoscopy

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Review Date: 09/02/2010
Reviewed By: Daniel N. Sacks MD, FACOG, Obstetrics & Gynecology in Private Practice, West Palm Beach, FL. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)