title: Role of diagnostic laparoscopy in chronic abdominal conditions with uncertain diagnosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoscopy has proved to be an important tool in the minimally invasive exploration of selected patients with chronic abdominal disorders, whose diagnosis remains uncertain, despite exploring the requisite laboratory and imaging investigations like ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT) scan, and the like.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic Laparoscopy was conducted on 120 patients, admitted to the Departments of Surgery and Gynecology, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, with an uncertain diagnosis after four weeks of onset of symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With laparoscopy providing tissue diagnosis, and helping to achieve the final diagnosis without any significant complication and less operative time, it can be safely concluded that diagnostic laparoscopy is a safe, quick, and effective adjunct to non-surgical diagnostic modalities, for establishing a conclusive diagnosis, but whether it will replace imaging studies as a primary modality for diagnosis needs more evidence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Amandeep S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Nar
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Ashvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Atul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mittal
keywords: Chronic abdominal conditions; diagnostic laparoscopy; uncertain diagnosis