Laparoscopy

A laparoscopy is a surgical procedure that allows the surgeon to access the inside of the abdomen and the pelvis.

Laparoscopy is minimally invasive, or keyhole, surgery. The surgeon does not have to make large incisions (cuts) in the skin. This is made possible with an instrument called a laparoscope.

Laparoscope

A laparoscope is a small flexible tube that contains a light source and a camera. The camera relays images of the inside the abdomen or pelvis to a television monitor.

The surgeon makes a minor incision in the skin, passes the laparoscope through the incision and studies the organs and tissues inside the abdomen or pelvis.

The advantages of this technique over traditional open surgery is that people who have a laparoscopy have:

• a faster recovery time,
• less pain after the operation, and
• minimal scarring.

Diagnostic uses

A laparoscopy can be used to help diagnose a wide range of conditions that develop inside the abdomen or pelvis, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and liver cancer.

Therapeutic uses

Laparoscopies can be used to carry out surgical procedures. Small surgical instruments and devices, such as lasers, can be passed through incisions in the skin to perform procedures such as removing a damaged or diseased organ.

For more information about the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of laparoscopies, see What it is used for.

How common are laparoscopies?

Laparoscopies are very common in certain areas of medicine, including:

• gynaecology (the study and treatment of conditions that affect the female reproductive system), and
• gastroenterology (the study and treatment of conditions that affect the digestive system).

An estimated 250,000 women have laparoscopic surgery for gynaecological conditions each year in the UK.

Safety

A laparoscopy is generally regarded as a very safe procedure. Serious complications as a result of surgery are rare and occur in an estimated 1 in a 1,000 cases.

Possible complications include:

• damage to organs, such as the bladder or bowel, and
• injury to a major artery (blood vessel).