• Abdominal pain- Diagnostic laparoscopy may be used to determine the cause of both acute and chronic pain. Some of the conditions that may cause acute or chronic abdominal pain are: appendicitis, adhesions or intra-abdominal scar tissue, pelvic infections, endometriosis, abdominal bleeding and less common, cancer. Often times, the surgeon can identify the problem and even correct it during the same procedure.
  
  
• Abdominal mass- By using diagnostic laparoscopy, a surgeon can identify any mass and can even remove a small tissue sample for pathological investigations.
  
  
• Ascites- Ascites is a medical term for the presence of fluid in the abdomen. Diagnostic laparoscopy can be an effective tool for determining the origin of this fluid production.
  
  
• For having a second look- This is done to do staging of cancer in patients. Cancer staging allows the doctor to more accurately determine the status of the disease and administer treatment in the most effective manner. Laparoscopy may also be used prior to an open, traditional surgery, to determine the best approach for the incision.

Problems that occur with a woman's reproductive organs sometimes cannot be found by a physical examination alone. Other tests, X-ray, or ultrasound may still leave some uncertainty. In Gynaecological problems, Diagnostic laparoscopy can be done for:

• Confirming endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease, adhesions
  
• Finding ovarian cysts
  
• Finding the cause of abdominal pain
  
• Looking for blockage of the fallopian tubes
  
• Finding other causes leading to infertility
  
• For diagnosing tubal pregnancy.

Laparoscopy is a well known minimal invasive surgery. This procedure places ports, which vary in size from 5 mm (less than 1/4 of an inch) to 12 mm (less than 1/2 an inch), throughout the abdomen. A Port is a point of entrance established with a trocar. A trocar is a surgical instrument used to enter cavities consisting of a tube, either metalic or plastic, into which fits an obturator. Subsequently, the obturator is removed and the tube is used to place either a telescope or surgical instruments.

The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia. An IV line will be placed and the anaesthesiologist and nurses will use monitors to check the heart rate and breathing during the procedure. A small incision is made near the navel. The laparoscope is inserted through this incision, and the abdomen is inflated to make the organs easier to view. The laparoscope might also be equipped with surgical devices for taking tissue samples or removing scar tissue. The second incision might also be made at the pubic hairline. This incision provides an additional opening for instruments needed for completing minor surgical procedures.

After surgery, patients generally stay in a recovery room for about one hour. Patients are then taken to an outpatient surgery unit for continued observation. The anesthetic may cause sleepiness or grogginess for a while. One may have some shoulder pain, feel bloated, or notice a change in bowel habits for a few days. The patient may not be able to urinate right away and may have a catheter (a small tube) placed into the bladder through the urethra.

The patient is sometimes discharged after few hours of surgery. This Ofcourse is only on the decision of the surgeon. Patients are asked to return to their doctors for follow-up checkups within two to eight weeks.

The main reason to perform diagnostic laparoscopy is to get better understanding when the diagnosis is in doubt. This minor surgical procedure may help your health care provider make a more accurate diagnosis without extensive surgery. Then your provider can suggest further treatment. Some problems may be treated surgically when this procedure is done. One advantage of this method is a brief hospitalization. Most of the time it can be performed as an outpatient operation (check into the hospital, have surgery and return home the same day) or simply an overnight stay. So let us enumerate the benefits once again:

• Brief hospitalization
  
• Less pain
  
• Fewer and smaller scars,
  
• Shorter recovery period

• There are some risks with general anesthesia but they can be taken care of by a competent surgeon.
  
• The abdominal organs, glands, or blood vessels may be damaged. You may need abdominal surgery to repair them at the time of the laparoscopy.
  
• The lining of the abdominal wall may become inflamed.
  
• One may have infection or bleeding.