Objective: we are aiming to analyze the impact of diagnostic laparoscopy in the identification of the cause of ascites that had been failed to be known by all other diagnostic procedures.
Methods: This study included 20 patients with an ascites of unknown cause. Before diagnostic laparoscopy, all patients underwent clinical, laboratory, and radiological evaluations, however, all these tools fail to identify the actual cause of this abnormal free fluid collection in the abdominal cavity. Data collected and statistically analyzed.
The results: the cause of ascites was identified in 18/20 of our patients with an accuracy of 90%. Forty per cent of ascites in our study were due to tuberculosis; while malignancy was the cause of ascites in 20% of patients; liver cirrhosis and peritonitis were the cause in 15% of each
Conclusion: laparoscopy can help safely and effectively in the diagnosis of cases of ascites of unknown etiology.