Laparoscopy (endoscopic examination of the abdomen)

Laparoscopy is a non-surgical examination of the abdominal cavity performed by inserting thin special lenses. Amongst others, it is applied for:

• diagnostics and targeted puncture (sampling) of diseases of liver and peritoneal membrane
• diagnostics and staging of malignant diseases of abdominal organs.

What does the examination look like and what should I pay attention to?

As a rule, laparoscopy is performed on an inpatient basis. It is necessary to stop taking Aspirin-containing preparations or medication, impairing blood coagulation, such as e.g. Plavix® (clopidogrel), 5-7 days before the procedure. Your physician and we as well (especially with Marcumar patients) will be pleased to answer any of your questions. The last meal should have been taken six hours before that.

After administrating local anaesthesia into the abdominal skin, a rod-shaped lens will be introduced into the abdominal cavity. It is preceded by lifting of the abdominal wall with nitrous oxide, in order to avoid injuries and assess the abdomen in a sufficient way. After examining all the organs, it is possible to make a targeted tissue sampling, if required. The procedure lasts about 45 minutes. Although the intervention is symptom-free, there is still an option of making a sedative injection. After the examination, a patient should stay in bed for about 4-6 hours, it is also advisable to stay in the hospital overnight.

Sutures or clips will be removed after about 7 days by our specialists (on an outpatient basis) or by your general practitioner.

Liver puncture

As a rule, liver punctures are necessary for diagnostics and evaluation of severity of liver diseases. Your general practitioner should inform you about the procedure itself and its possible risks (with a declaration of consent). We are also pleased to be at your disposal.

It is necessary that your general practitioner measures your blood count and blood coagulation in advance and you bring these values to the procedure. You should stop taking Aspirin-containing preparations or medication, impairing blood coagulation, such as e.g. Plavix® (clopidogrel), 5-7 days before the procedure.
Liver is examined by means of an ultrasound. After administration of a local anaesthetic into the skin, a small liver cylinder will be gained for the microscopic examination.

The entire examination lasts 10 minutes and, as a rule, just a little painful. Optionally, it is possible to make a sedative injection. The patient will sleep during the procedure and then he can rest in the recovery room. Due to the special medication (propofol), there is no long lasting after-effect, as with valium related preparations. However, for legal reasons, it is not allowed to drive a car for 24 hours after the injection.

If a patient wants a sedative injection to be made, he should observe fasting rules for 6 hours before the examination. After the examination, it is necessary to stay in bed under clinical observation for about 4 hours.