How Does Laparoscopic Surgery Work? What to Expect

Laparoscopic surgery is a procedure that’s increasingly becoming more common. There are approximately 15 million laparoscopic operations performed each year around the world.

But if you haven’t heard of this type of operation, you might be wondering what laparoscopic surgery is and what to expect from your upcoming procedure. Read on to learn more about laparoscopy.

What Is Laparoscopic Surgery?

Laparoscopy is a surgical procedure that’s used to examine the inside of the abdomen. It’s a minimally invasive operation that only requires small incisions. Small laparoscopy tools are known as laparoscopes, and they help surgeons look inside of the stomach to view abdominal organs.

Laparoscopic devices are long, thin tubes that include a high-resolution camera and high-intensity light. As the surgeon operates, the camera submits images to a video monitor. This procedure helps the technician see what’s going on in the body in real time without the use of open surgery.

What’s the Purpose of Laparoscopic Procedures?

Laparoscopic surgery is often used to determine the cause of pelvic or abdominal pain. It’s generally performed when other methods are incapable of providing a diagnosis.

In many situations, imaging procedures like ultrasounds, MRIs, and CT scans are used to identify problems within the abdomen. However, these methods are not always effective.

By using laparoscopy tools, physicians can go straight to the source. They may also use laparoscopic surgery to take a sample of tissue from an abdomen organ. Below are some of the most common organs that your doctor might examine during laparoscopy:

• Stomach
• Spleen
• Gallbladder
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Appendix
• Pelvis

Performing laparoscopy on these areas helps physicians to detect potential liver disease, abdominal tumors, and verify if cancer has spread into the abdomen.

The Benefits of Laparoscopy

The incredible thing about laparoscopy is that’s it’s an outpatient procedure. Unlike other surgeries, you won’t have to stay in the hospital for days as you would with an invasive operation. Plus, you’ll receive anesthesia during the procedure, so you won’t feel the laparoscopy tools as they’re used inside of your abdomen.

Not to mention, the incision is so small that once the surgery is over, the technician can close it with a few stitches and cover it with a bandage. The recovery time for this procedure is minimal.

You may only have to stay at the hospital for a few hours after the procedure, and there’s usually only moderate pain or throbbing around the incision area. Thankfully, the discomfort improves within a few days.

A Safer, Simpler Operation

Now that you know more about laparoscopic surgery, you may feel better about it. This type of procedure is designed to ensure that you have the best outcome after your operation. Surgeries are painful enough, so if there’s any way to make the process better, it’s worth it.

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