Most masses require a definitive diagnosis before appropriate therapy or treatment can be recommended. Laparoscopy is one of the techniques available to your physician to look directly at the mass and obtain tissue to discover the diagnosis. The presence of fluid in the abdominal cavity is called Ascites . Sometimes the cause of this fluid accumulation cannot be found without looking into the abdominal cavity, which can often be accomplished with laparoscopy. Liver disease .
Diagnostic laparoscopy is one of the safest and most accurate ways to obtain tissue for diagnosis.
In other words, it is an accurate way to collect a biopsy to sample the liver or mass without actually opening the abdomen. Your doctor may need information regarding the status of a previously treated disease, such as cancer. This may occur after treatment with some forms of chemotherapy or before more chemotherapy is started. Also, information may be provided by diagnostic laparoscopy before planning a formal exploration of the abdomen, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. This procedure is almost always performed in a hospital setting, as open, traditional surgery may often follow.