Laparoscopic Surgery

What is laparoscopic surgery?

Imagine that someone could remove one of your internal organs without cutting you open. Impossible you say?

Laparoscopic surgery is performed through small incisions. The cuts are often so small that they hardly leave a scar. A small incision can be easily hidden in the navel. The surgeon puts tools inside the body using these holes. A laparoscope is a camera that lets the surgeon look inside the body. A TV screen shows the operation as it is taking place.

Why perform laparoscopy?

Regular surgery requires making a large incision, which leaves a large scar. Laparoscopy has changed that because surgeons now operate using small incisions whenever they can.

Here are a few common examples of laparoscopy:

• gallbladder removal
• hernia repair
• appendix removal
• tubal ligation (having your "tubes tied")

Many hospitals perform more complex surgeries. New tools are being invented so that more operations can be done. This is an exciting area in the world of medicine.

Sometimes laparoscopy is used just to look inside the body. You may be having some pain and your doctor may not be sure what's wrong. By looking inside your body, the answer may be found. This is usually done after you've had some x-rays and other tests.

What are the advantages of laparoscopic surgery?

The major advantages are faster healing and very little scarring.

Quicker recovery means less time in the hospital. It also means less time away from work or other activities.

Scars can become almost invisible after surgery. The navel hides scars very well. Large incisions are painful and can take longer to heal.

With any type of surgery, scars form inside the body also. These can cause problems. There is less internal scarring with laparoscopy than with regular surgery.

How long does the surgery take?

That really depends on the type of surgery. Simple operations may take less than an hour. Other operations can take many hours.

What are the risks?

The major risks are similar to any type of surgery. Bleeding and infection are possible at the incision. There is a very small risk of injuring other internal organs. Other risks, including death, are very rare.

Sometimes an operation starts with laparoscopy, but is changed to regular surgery. This can happen if there is a problem during the operation. For example, if the appendix bursts, regular surgery is done.

Talk to your doctor if you are considering surgery. You may have more options than you realize.

Sources:

American College of Surgeons

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.