Laparoscopy

Surprising Benefits of Sex Slideshow Pictures Take the Quiz: The Human Body 25k1709 Causes of Fatigue Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Alan Saber, MD

Alan Saber, MD

Alan Saber, MD is currently Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Bariatric Surgery and an Associate Professor of Surgery at Michigan State University. Dr. Saber earned both his MD and a post-doctoral degree in surgery from the Alexandria University School of Medicine in Alexandria, Egypt. His surgical residency included Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and The Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

View Full Profile

• Laparoscopy Overview
• Laparoscopy Preparation
• During the Procedure
• After the Procedure
• Next Steps
• Risks
• Results
• When to Seek Medical Care
• For More Information
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors
• Read more on Laparoscopy from Healthwise

Laparoscopy Overview

Laparoscopy is a way of performing a surgery. Instead of making a large incision (or cut) for certain operations, surgeons make tiny incisions and insert tiny instruments and a camera into a site, such as into the abdomen, to view the internal organs and repair or remove tissue.

Laparoscopy was first performed in animals in the early 1900s, and the Swedish surgeon Jacobaeus coined the term laparoscopy (laparothorakoskopie) in 1901. However, better techniques were not developed until the 1960s, when laparoscopy was accepted as a safe and valuable procedure.

Early on, the technique of laparoscopy, sometimes referred to as keyhole surgery, was used only to diagnose conditions. Then doctors began to perform surgeries such as tubal sterilization in women using laparoscopy. The technique has evolved so much that operations that once required doctors to make a very large incision, such as to remove the gallbladder, can now all be done with this less invasive surgery.

For patients, laparoscopy can often mean a faster recovery from surgery, less time in the hospital or outpatient surgery center, and less trauma to the body. Doctors do not have to slice through large abdominal muscles to reach vital organs.

Laparoscopic instruments and techniques are used for a variety of procedures, including knee and shoulder surgery. Operations now often performed laparoscopically include the following, among many others:

• Removal of diseased organs such as the gallbladder or appendix



• Removal or repair of diseased parts of the colon or stomach (digestive system)



• Removal or repair of the bladder, ureters, or kidneys (urinary system)



• Removal or repair of women's reproductive organs, such as the uterus or fallopian tubes



• Tubal ligation



• Removal of a kidney in a living donor



• Weight-reduction procedures, such as gastric bypass



• Repair of a hernia



• To view the liver and pancreas for the presence of cancer tumors



• To view the abdomen for signs of disease that has been difficult to diagnose (exploratory surgery)



• To view a tumor in the abdomen



• To check the source of abdominal pain or remove scar tissue



• To look for the source of internal bleeding or fluid buildup if the patient has a normal blood pressure



• To view injury following trauma or an accident