Laparoscopy

A laparoscopy is a type of surgery that lets a surgeon look inside your body without making a large incision (cut). It's used to help diagnose and sometimes treat conditions that develop in your belly or pelvis. To do a laparoscopy, a surgeon makes a small cut near your belly button that's usually a half-inch long or less.

The surgeon inserts a long, thin tube with a camera through the cut and into your body. This tube is called a laparoscope. The camera sends images from inside your body to a video monitor.

This allows the surgeon to see inside your body. The surgeon may make one or two other small cuts in your belly for inserting special surgical tools into your body. Using these tools, the surgeon can remove samples of tissue to check for signs of disease (a biopsy).

Sometimes during a laparoscopy, the surgeon will use these tools to do procedures to treat certain problems. For example, if a laparoscopy finds a tumor, the surgeon may remove it completely during the same surgery. Many common surgical treatments can be done with laparoscopic surgery.

Laparoscopy is sometimes called 'minimally invasive surgery' or 'keyhole surgery,' because it requires smaller cuts than traditional, 'open' surgery. The use of smaller cuts has several benefits, including: Shorter hospital stays; Less pain; Faster recovery and smaller scars;

Why this test is done

There are many reasons why you may need a laparoscopy, including if:

• You have pain or other symptoms in your belly or pelvis and imaging tests haven't been able to find the cause.
• You've been in a serious accident or have been wounded and may have organ injuries.
• You have cancer and your health care provider needs to know if it has spread to other parts of your body. This information helps choose your treatment.
• You've had abnormal liver tests and your provider doesn't know why.

If you're female, you may need a laparoscopy to:

• Find out what's causing problems getting pregnant
• Diagnose symptoms that may involve your reproductive organs, including:
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Endometriosis
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Uterine fibroids
• Ovarian cysts

How to prepare

Your provider will let you know how to prepare. Be sure to follow all the instructions. You will need to fast (not eat or drink) for a period of time before a laparoscopy.

Ask your provider whether you should take your usual medicines and/or supplements. But don't stop taking any medicine without talking with your provider first.

Plan to wear loose-fitting clothes because after the surgery, your belly may be bloated from the gas and a little sore. You're also likely to feel groggy, so you'll need to plan to have someone take you home.

Sample type

Blood Tissue/Biopsy

Other names for this test

diagnostic laparoscopy, exploratory laparoscopy