Why It Is Done

Laparoscopy is done to:

• Check for and possibly take out abnormal growths (such as tumors) in the belly or pelvis.
• Check for and treat conditions such as endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
• Find conditions that can make it hard to become pregnant. These conditions include cysts, adhesions, fibroids, and infection. Laparoscopy may be done after early infertility tests do not show the cause for the infertility.
• Do a biopsy.
• See if cancer in another area of the body has spread to the belly.
• Check for damage to internal organs, such as the spleen, after an injury or accident.
• Do a tubal ligation.
• Fix a hiatal hernia or an inguinal hernia .
• Take out organs, such as the uterus, spleen, gallbladder (laparoscopic cholecystectomy), ovaries, prostate, or appendix (appendectomy). Partial removal (resection) of the colon also can be done.
• Find the cause of sudden or ongoing pelvic pain.

How To Prepare

Surgery can be stressful. This information will help you understand what you can expect. And it will help you safely prepare for surgery.

Preparing for surgery

• You may need to empty your colon with an enema or laxative. Your doctor will tell you how to do this.
• Understand exactly what surgery is planned, along with the risks, benefits, and other options.
• Tell your doctor ALL the medicines, vitamins, supplements, and herbal remedies you take. Some may increase the risk of problems during your surgery. Your doctor will tell you if you should stop taking any of them before the surgery and how soon to do it.
• If you take aspirin or some other blood thinner, ask your doctor if you should stop taking it before your surgery. Make sure that you understand exactly what your doctor wants you to do. These medicines increase the risk of bleeding.
• Make sure your doctor and the hospital have a copy of your advance directive. If you don’t have one, you may want to prepare one. It lets others know your health care wishes. It’s a good thing to have before any type of surgery or procedure.
• Be sure you have someone to take you home. Anesthesia and pain medicine will make it unsafe for you to drive or get home on your own.

How It Is Done

Laparoscopy is done by a surgeon. General anesthesia is most often used. But other types of anesthesia, such as spinal anesthesia, may be used. Ask your surgeon which choice is best for you.

About an hour before the surgery, you'll empty your bladder. You'll get fluids and medicine through an intravenous (I.V.) line in a vein in your arm. You may get a medicine (sedative) to help you relax.

A thin, lighted tube (laparoscope) is inserted into the belly through a small incision, usually made below the navel. The belly is inflated with air, which pushes the wall of the belly away from the organs so the surgeon can see them more clearly.

Other incisions may be made so special tools can be used to take tissue samples, fix a problem, or drain cysts. A laser may be attached to the laparoscope to help with the surgery.

After the surgery, the tools will be removed and the air will be released. The incisions will be closed with stitches and covered with a bandage. The scars are small and will fade over time.

After the laparoscopy, you'll go to the recovery room. How long you stay will depend on why you had the surgery.

How long the test takes

Laparoscopy usually takes about 60 to 90 minutes, depending on what is done. But it can take longer if the surgery becomes more complicated.

Watch

How It Feels

If general anesthesia is used, you will be asleep and feel nothing. After you wake up, you will feel sleepy for several hours. You may be tired and have some pain for a few days after a laparoscopy. You may have shoulder pain. This is caused by the air your doctor put in your belly to help see your organs better. The pain may last for a day or two.

If you have other types of anesthesia, you may have pain for a few days when the initial numbness wears off.

Risks

There is a small chance of problems from laparoscopy, such as:

• Bleeding from the incisions.
• Infection.
• Damage to an organ or blood vessel. This may cause more bleeding that needs another surgery to repair.

A laparoscopy may not be done because of a higher chance for problems if you have:

• Abdominal cancer.
• An abdominal hernia.
• Had abdominal surgeries in the past.

Results

Results of any lab tests on tissue samples may not be available for several days.

Normal

• The organs are normal in size, shape, and position.
• Adhesions, cysts, or abnormal growths, such as tumors, are not seen.
• No signs of disease (such as endometriosis), inflammation (such as appendicitis), or infection are seen.

Abnormal

• An organ may be abnormal in size, shape, or position.
• Adhesions, cysts, or abnormal growths, such as tumors, may be seen.
• Signs of disease, such as endometriosis, or infection may be seen.
• An ectopic pregnancy may be present.
• Inflammation of an internal organ may be present, such as appendicitis, cholecystitis, or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
• Scar tissue may be seen on an internal organ, such as the fallopian tubes or ovaries, that may affect fertility.