Daycare diagnostic laparoscopy: experience with the first 1000 patients in a tropical gynaecological service

Objective To review outpatient diagnostic laparoscopy in a tropical gynaecological service. Design A retrospective, descriptive study. Setting A teaching hospital in Nigeria, West Africa. Subjects Patients in the reproductive age group, predominantly with symptoms of infertility and chronic pelvic pain. Main outcome measures The safety and acceptability of outpatient diagnostic laparoscopy, especially as related to the most common complications, the status of the laparoscopist and instances where the procedure initially could not be performed satisfactorily. Results Over a period of 10 years, 1033 patients underwent laparoscopy. Most procedures were performed by senior registrars (46.4%). The most common associated problem (22.7%) was allergic cutaneous reaction to pethidine. Initially, laparoscopy could not be performed in 4% of patients, presumably due to inadequate analgesia. Failure to achieve a pneumoperitoneum was, however, the main technical problem associated with a primary patient drop‐out rate of 2.32%. Conclusion Daycare diagnostic laparoscopy appears to be acceptable in tropical gynaecological practice. It is recommended for more widespread use with a view to saving the patient's time, reducing costs and minimizing anaesthetic risks.