What is it used for? of Laparoscopy

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

| A |

| B |

| C |

| D |

| E |

| F |

| G |

| H |

| I |

| J |

| K |

| L |

| M |

| N |

| O |

| P |

| Q |

| R |

| S |

| T |

| U |

| V |

| W |

| X |

| Y |

Abdominal and pelvic symptoms are normally first investigated with a physical examination, and then an X-ray or scan, such as a CT (computerised tomography) scan. Sometimes these tests arenâ€™t sufficient to make a diagnosis, and laparoscopy may be recommended to allow doctors to look directly at the organs within the abdomen and pelvis. Laparoscopy is used for the diagnosis of a variety of different conditions, including:

endometriosis (a condition in which womb lining appears in other parts of the body);
pelvic inflammatory disease;
ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside of the womb);
ovarian cysts; and
appendicitis.

(For more information about these conditions, please see the separate encyclopaedia topics).

Laparoscopy is also used to perform a number of operations, including:

removal of the gallbladder;
removal of the appendix;
removal of patches of endometriosis;
removal of parts of the intestines;
female sterilisation;
treating ectopic pregnancy; and
taking a small sample (biopsy) from one of the organs in the abdomen for further testing.