Diagnostic laparoscopy

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Female reproductive anatomy

Incision for abdominal laparoscopy

Pelvic laparoscopy

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

If you are under general anesthesia, you will feel no pain during the procedure, although the incisions may throb and be slightly painful afterward. A pain reliever may be given by your physician.

With local anesthesia, you may feel a prick and a burning sensation when the local anesthetic is given. Pain may occur at the incision site. The laparoscope may cause pressure, but there should be no pain during the procedure. Afterward, the incision site may throb for several hours and may be slightly painful. A pain reliever may be given by your physician.

Additionally, you may experience shoulder pain for a few days, because the carbon dioxide can irritate the diaphragm, which shares some of the same nerves as the shoulder. You may also experience 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 may detect the following conditions:

• Endometriosis (tissues normally found in the uterus growing in other areas)
• Ectopic pregnancy (in which the fertilized egg develops outside of the uterus),
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (an inflammation in the pelvic cavity)
• Cancer
• Cholecystitis
• Appendicitis

Review Date: 07/14/2006
Reviewed By: J.A. Lee, M.D., Division of Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.