Patient acceptance of diagnostic laparoscopy

Weickert U, Bühl A, Jakobs R, Eickhoff A, Löffler W, Riemann JF

Abstract

Purpose: To assess patient acceptance of diagnostic conventional laparoscopy and minilaparoscopy under sedoanalgesia. 
Materials and methods: 120 consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic laparoscopy were enrolled prospectively in this study. Within the first week after diagnostic laparoscopy the patients were asked to answer a total of eight questions with regard to the acceptance of the procedure.
Results: The inconvenience of laparoscopy was assessed with a mean of 1.6 on a scale from 0 to 10 (0= no inconvenience, 10= very unpleasant). The discomfort in the two days following laparoscopy were graded with a mean of 2.1 on a scale from 0 to 10 (0= no inconvenience, 10= very unpleasant). There was no difference between conventional laparoscopy and minilaparoscopy. Only 10% of the patients described laparoscopy more inconvenient in comparison to diagnostic gastroscopy, whereas 29% of the patients assessed diagnostic gastroscopy more inconvenient.
Conclusions: Diagnostic laparoscopy under sedoanalgesia is a very well tolerated procedure. There is no difference between conventional laparoscopy and minilaparoscopy.

Key words:	acceptance, diagnostic laparoscopy, questionnaire.