Laparoscopy in pelvic pains
Contraception Fertilite Sexualite 5(6): 511-514
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-861X PMID: 12260787 Document Number: 111088
An evaluation is made of laparoscopy in the case of pelvic pains. Laparoscopy is an excellent method for diagnosis, but should not be performed systematically; it is expensive and in some cases, may endanger the patient. The clinical examination must be done extremely carefully. Laparoscopy should be considered only if the clinical examination does not explain at all the cause of the pain. Most doctors believe that laparoscopy should be performed if the clinical examination is negative or uncertain, if the pain is serious or old, and if the treatments administered have not worked. Laparoscopy allows for recognition of lesions, avoids inadequate treatments and performs therapeutic tests. Laparoscopy does not solve all problems of pelvic pain, and it is often difficult to determine whether the lesion discovered is actually responsible for the pain. It is concluded that although it is a precious tool for diagnosis, laparoscopy is sometimes insufficient, and often unnecessary; the symptoms of the patients should first be analysed very carefully and one should not perform laparoscopy systematically.