If You’ve Been Experiencing Stomach Pain, It’s Time to Consider Laparoscopy

Unexplained stomach pain can be a symptom of multiple underlying health conditions, some of which can be serious. For this reason, it’s important that you don’t delay in getting a diagnosis.

As a skilled physician, Susan J. Seman, DO, FACOS, is experienced in diagnosing and treating the causes of stomach pain. She focuses on customizing treatments, and she offers the convenience of on-site laparoscopy services to get you the answers you need as quickly.

Why you may need laparoscopy

Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that Dr. Seman uses to find the root cause of stomach pain. This diagnostic method is typically an option when other methods prove ineffective.

Requiring only small incisions in and around the treatment area, laparoscopy involves the insertion of a slender scope through the incision to view your internal structures, such as your stomach and other organs. The scope has a tiny light and camera attached, which sends real-time images of your body to an external monitor.

Laparoscopic technology allows Dr. Seman the opportunity to explore your stomach and surrounding areas to identify the source of your pain without having to use traditional open-surgery techniques.

Additionally, if she determines that a hernia or gallstones are causing your pain, Dr. Seman can use laparoscopy to remove the stones or repair the hernia. She can also take a biopsy, or tissue sample, from your stomach for further testing.

The benefits of laparoscopy

Because Dr. Seman can get a clear picture of your stomach and surrounding structures during laparoscopy, she can accurately diagnose the cause of your pain during the procedure.

Since you only need small incisions, laparoscopy reduces your risk for bleeding and infection. 

You can also expect to recover much faster from laparoscopy than you would from traditional open surgery.

Smaller incisions also mean you won’t have to worry about noticeable scars. Dr. Seman is skilled in placing incisions in the natural folds of your body to minimize the appearance of scars.

Another benefit of laparoscopy is that the technology can be used to both diagnose and treat a wide range of issues that can cause stomach and abdominal pain, including:

• Tumors
• Infections
• Scar tissue
• Appendicitis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Hernias

By using laparoscopy to perform a biopsy, Dr. Seman can also identify early stages of cancer in the stomach or surrounding tissue.

Don’t ignore the warning signs

If you have stomach pain that isn’t relieved with over-the-counter pain relievers and rest, it’s important that you schedule a diagnostic evaluation as soon as possible.

Ignoring the pain can increase your risk of developing long-term health complications. For instance, untreated infections can quickly spread to other parts of your body, so a prompt diagnosis is vital.

If you have stomach pain that isn’t getting better, book an appointment online or over the phone with Susan J. Seman, DO, FACOS today.