Chronic abdominal pain is a difficult complaint that is associated with so many diseases. It really becomes a challenge for the physician to find out the exact cause of abdominal pain that has become chronic. It leads to evident physical and psychological suffering and disability.

Laparoscopy for Chronic Abdominal Pain

Laparoscopy can be of diagnostic and therapeutic value in cases with chronic abdominal pain. As a diagnostic procedure, it can identify abnormal findings of the abdomen like:

• Abdominal adhesions

• Appendiceal pathology

• Hepatobiliary causes

• Endometriosis

• Hernia

• Gall bladder disorders etc.

In fact laparoscopy can therapeutically deal with all these etiologies.

Laparoscopic procedure is performed under general anaesthesia through 3 to 5 small incisions in the abdominal wall. One of the incisions is used to insert the laparoscopic instruments and another one is used to insert a port (nozzle) that fills the carbon dioxide gas into the abdomen to inflate it. This allows better view of the internal organs on the monitor outside. Whole of the abdominal cavity is inspected carefully and wherever an abnormality is found, it is managed accordingly.

Laparoscopy for Trauma

Laparoscopy can be applied when a primarily intraabdominal injury is suspected in a hemodynamically stable patient of trauma. Specially designed emergency laparoscopic equipment is used that do not require insufflation of the abdominal cavity and use of general anaesthesia. Once the injury is defined, a laparoscopic repair of the injury or an open procedure can be performed as required. Otherwise laparoscopic examination is continued to examine the intraabdominal organs to specifically identify and evaluate the injury.

Advantages of Laparoscopy in Chronic Abdominal Pain and Trauma

• Helps to achieve the final diagnosis without any significant complication

• Least operative time

• Safe, quick, and effective adjunct to non-surgical diagnostic modalities

• Treatment of certain injures can be made during the laparoscopic procedure itself

• Can be converted to open procedure as required