What Is a Laparoscopy?
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What Is a Laparoscopy?

What Is a Laparoscopy?
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Updated on October 7, 2024
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A laparoscopy is a surgical procedure that lets doctors see inside your body without making a large incision. Typically, a laparoscopy takes less time and results in faster recovery than traditional, open surgery.

Overview

What Is a Laparoscopy?

A laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgery that doctors use to diagnose or treat a variety of medical conditions. Your healthcare provider might recommend a laparoscopy if you have abdominal pain and diagnostic tests such as a physical exam, X-ray, or computed tomography (CT) scan are not able to clearly identify the cause of your symptoms or condition.

During the procedure, a surgeon makes a small cut near your belly button and places a thin, lighted tube with a camera on it (called a laparoscope) through the incision. Magnified images from the camera are projected on a monitor, so the surgeon can see inside your abdomen or pelvis and, if necessary, operate.

The surgeon may make additional minor cuts in your belly, through which they can insert other small instruments to take tissue samples for a biopsy or to perform other procedures.

Why Is a Laparoscopy Done?

Doctors perform a laparoscopy to find or treat health conditions that affect organs in the abdomen and pelvis.

When a laparoscopy is used to detect problems, it’s called a diagnostic laparoscopy. It can be performed for these purposes:

  • Find the source of pain.
  • Look for tumors, growths, or cancer.
  • Diagnose diseases that affect the liver, appendix, gallbladder, pancreas, intestines, spleen, or stomach.
  • Spot conditions that affect the female reproductive system, such as ectopic pregnancy, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and fibroids.
  • Identify blockages or injuries.
  • Locate bleeding inside the belly.
  • Look for infection.
  • Find adhesions (scar tissue).
Additionally, if doctors notice abnormal-looking tissue, they can perform a biopsy laparoscopically. This involves removing a small piece of tissue and sending it to a lab to be analyzed.

If a problem is found, it can sometimes be handled during the same surgery.

 When a laparoscopy is used to treat a condition, it’s called laparoscopic surgery. It may be done for these reasons:

  • Remove tumors, cysts, stones, polyps, or fibroids.
  • Perform a tubal ligation (tie the fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy).
  • Treat an ectopic pregnancy (one that occurs outside the fallopian tubes).
  • Repair a hernia.
  • Remove organs, such as the uterus, fallopian tubes, bladder, gallbladder, ovaries, spleen, kidney, or appendix.
  • Perform a bariatric procedure (weight-loss surgery)
  • Take out part of the stomach or colon.

How Is a Laparoscopy Performed?

A laparoscopy is typically performed in a hospital or outpatient center. Usually, you are given general anesthesia, which means you will be asleep during the procedure.

Once the operation starts, your surgeon makes a small incision near your belly button. Carbon dioxide gas is pumped into your belly through a long tube to expand the space between your organs and make it easier for the surgical team to view the area.

Next, the surgeon inserts the laparoscope, which includes a camera that sends images onto a large screen, into the incision in your belly. They move the laparoscope around to look at your organs and tissue.

If you need to have a biopsy or laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon may need to make a few more small cuts in your abdomen. They insert special instruments to remove tissue or organs, or to perform other surgical procedures.

When the surgery is complete, the surgeon takes the tools out of your body. The carbon dioxide is also be removed, and the incisions are closed and bandaged.

How Do I Prepare for a Laparoscopy?

Your doctor will probably tell you not to eat or drink anything after midnight the day before your procedure. Follow your provider’s instructions carefully.

 Here are some other ways you can prepare for a laparoscopy:
  • Tell your doctor about all the medicines, vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. You may need to stop taking certain drugs, such as blood thinners, before your procedure.

  • Smoking may slow down your recovery. Let your doctor know if you smoke.

  • On the day of the surgery, wear loose-fitting clothes and low-heeled shoes. Avoid wearing jewelry and remove any nail polish.

  • Arrange to have a loved one pick you up after the surgery since you won’t be able to drive yourself.

What Should I Expect During a Laparoscopy?

You will likely receive general anesthesia before your procedure. Your medical team will deliver the medicines via an intravenous line in your arm. You’ll be asleep during the procedure, so you won’t feel pain or discomfort.

Generally, a diagnostic laparoscopic procedure takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete. Laparoscopic surgery can take one to three hours. If surgeons can’t perform the procedure via the small incisions, there’s a chance they may need to make a larger incision and perform a traditional, open surgery.

After your surgery, you’ll be moved to a recovery room. Most of the time, you’ll be able to go home that day, but the timeline depends on the type of procedure, your overall health, and other individual factors.

What Are the Potential Risks Associated With a Laparoscopy?

Possible risks of a laparoscopy include the following:

  • Bleeding
  • Injury to organs or blood vessels
  • Reactions to anesthesia
  • Infection
  • Swelling in the abdomen

What Type of Care Is Needed Following a Laparoscopy?

After the laparoscopy, you’ll probably be able to go home the same day. Make sure a family member or friend takes you home from the hospital or surgery center, and follow the postprocedure care instructions from your doctor.

When you get home, you’ll want to take it easy for a few days. You may have some pain and swelling after the surgery. Some people also experience bloating, cramps, or shoulder pain. Your doctor will tell you what medicines you can take to ease the discomfort.

Depending on how complicated your laparoscopy was, your health before your surgery, how well you recover, and the type of work you do, you may be able to return to your job a few days to weeks after your procedure.

Some post-op recovery tips to keep in mind:

  • Don’t drink alcohol for at least the first day after your procedure.
  • Be sure to keep your incision dry and clean.
  • If you have a bandage, you can remove it the morning after your surgery. Steri-Strips can be removed two to three days later, and glue should be left alone to fall off on its own.
  • Get plenty of rest and allow yourself time to heal; remember that everyone recovers differently.

What Are the Possible Complications and Side Effects of a Laparoscopy?

A laparoscopy is generally a very safe procedure. However, there are risks of complications with any type of surgery.

Although rare, it’s possible to develop a blood clot that affects your legs, lungs, or pelvis. These clots can travel to your heart or brain, and cause a heart attack or stroke.

Infection is also a potential complication. Call your doctor right away if you develop any of the following symptoms:

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Redness, warmth, or swelling around your incisions
  • Trouble breathing
  • Vomiting
  • Leg swelling
  • Trouble urinating

What’s Next

If you have a diagnostic laparoscopy, your doctor will explain the results to you after your procedure. You may require another surgery to treat the problem.

A few weeks after laparoscopy surgery, you’ll meet with your healthcare provider for a follow-up visit to make sure you are healing well.

The Takeaway

A laparoscopy is a procedure to find or treat different medical conditions. Instead of a large cut, a surgeon uses small incisions and special tools to perform a laparoscopy. The result is less pain and faster healing than traditional, more invasive surgery.

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Sanjai Sinha, MD

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Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program at Weill Cornell Medical College. Helping patients understand health information and make informed decisions, and communicating health topics effectively both in person and through patient educational content, is a challenge that animates his daily life, and something he is always working to improve.

Dr. Sinha did his undergraduate training at the University of California in Berkeley, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1998 and completed his internship and residency training at the New York University School of Medicine in 2001. Subsequently, he worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2012 and held faculty appointments at both the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

In 2006, he won the VISN3 Network Director Award for Public Service and a commendation from the secretary of Veterans Affairs for his relief work after Hurricane Katrina. He joined Weill Cornell Medical College in 2012, where he is an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program, as well as a practicing physician.

In addition to his work for Everyday Health, Sinha has written for various publications, including Sharecare and Drugs.com; published numerous papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the Journal of General Internal Medicine; and presented at national conferences on many healthcare delivery topics. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
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Julie Lynn Marks

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Julie Marks is a freelance writer with more than 20 years of experience covering health, lifestyle, and science topics. In addition to writing for Everyday Health, her work has been featured in WebMD, SELF, Healthline, A&E, Psych Central, Verywell Health, and more. Her goal is to compose helpful articles that readers can easily understand and use to improve their well-being. She is passionate about healthy living and delivering important medical information through her writing.

Prior to her freelance career, Marks was a supervising producer of medical programming for Ivanhoe Broadcast News. She is a Telly award winner and Freddie award finalist. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, traveling, and cheering on the UCF Knights.

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