title: Diagnostic laparoscopic findings in chronic pelvic pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the cause of pain on diagnostic laparoscopy in women with chronic pelvic pain and equivocal clinical and ultrasound examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Red Crescent General Hospital, Hyderabad, Sindh, from January 2007 to December 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the women presenting with chronic pelvic pain for more than 6 months duration, without any obvious pathological findings on clinical as well as on ultrasound examination were recruited. Women with chronic pelvic pain and having pelvic pathological lesions detected on clinical and/or ultrasound examination were excluded. Clinical, ultrasound, and laparoscopic data was collected and analyzed on SPSS version 14. The results were described as frequency, proportion, compared by chi-square test with significance at p < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Highest frequency of chronic pelvic pain was observed in women aged between 26 - 35 years (62.4%), 53 out of 85 women. Most of these women were married (90.6%) and nulliparous (47.1%). Pain was reported as dull and sharp by 35 women (41.2%), infertility (n = 46, 54.1%) and dyspareunia (n = 45, 52.9%) were the commonest co-existent complaints. On laparoscopic examination, pathological lesions were detected in 65, tuberculosis in 17 (20%) endometriosis in 11 women (12.9%), pelvic inflammatory diseases and pelvic adhesion in 8 (9.4%) women each and ovarian cyst in 6 women (7.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Positive laparoscopic yield was high in women with pelvic pain. Pelvic tuberculosis was the most common pathology detected followed by endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and adhesions.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro.
authors: Shahla
authors: S
authors: Baloch
authors: Meharun-Nisa
authors: MN
authors: Khaskheli
authors: Arshad Mahmood
authors: AM
authors: Malik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004414:Dyspareunia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010048:Ovarian Cysts / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D055815:Young Adult