Have you heard people talk about “minimally invasive” surgery?

Laparoscopic surgery is one kind. Doctors first used it for gallbladder surgery and gynecology operations. Then it came in play for the intestines, liver, and other

What is laparoscopy?

• Laparoscopy is a type of surgery that uses smaller cuts than you might expect.
• The process takes its name from the laparoscope, a slender tool that has a tiny video camera and light on the end.
• When a surgeon inserts it through a small cut and into your body, they can look at a video monitor and see what’s happening inside you.
• Without those tools, they’d have to make a much larger opening. Thanks to special instruments, your surgeon won’t have to reach into your body, either. That also means less cutting.

Advanced Kinds of Laparoscopic Surgery:

• In some operations, the surgeon can put the camera and the surgical tool through the same opening in the skin. This means less scarring. But it’s trickier for the surgeon because the instruments are so close together.
• In other cases, the surgeon may decide to use a device that lets them reach in with a hand. This is called “hand assisted” laparoscopy. The cut in the skin has to be longer than a half-inch, but it still can be smaller than in traditional surgery. This has made it possible to use laparoscopic surgery for the liver and other organs.