What Is a Laparoscopy and When Would You Need One?
Medical procedures can help us manage our health through diagnosis and treatment…but what is a laparoscopy? If you’ve been told you need one, you may feel a bit nervous. We want to assure you that there’s no need for anxiety. To take the “mystery” out of the procedure, we’ll discuss what laparoscopy is, the reasons you might need one, and what happens during this procedure.
What is a Laparoscopy?
You may have heard this referred to as minimally-invasive surgery. This procedure allows us to operate on internal organs by making only small, “keyhole” incisions.
This is possible through the use of a laparoscope. A laparoscope is a slender, lighted tube fitted with a camera that transmits real-time images to a monitor. This technique offers numerous benefits compared to traditional open surgery, including smaller incisions, reduced scarring, quicker recovery time, and shorter hospital stays.
Why Would Someone Need a Laparoscopy?
What is a laparoscopy? It’s something that helps us with both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and assessments. It helps us identify and treat gynecological conditions such as:
- Ovarian cysts
- Endometriosis
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Fibroids
- Infertility issues
Of course, a laparoscopy can be used to treat a lot of conditions outside of gynecology. It can also be used:
- To diagnose gallbladder problems
- To discover the source of abdominal pain
- To repair hernias
- To aid in cancer diagnosis and staging
Is a Laparoscopy Major Surgery?
When you wonder ‘what is a laparoscopy?’ you’ll likely ask yourself if it is considered major surgery.
Even though it is still considered surgery, because it uses minimally invasive techniques, it is not considered as major as “open” procedures where larger incisions are made. Advantages of laparoscopic surgeries include:
- Less pain during recovery
- Smaller incisions
- Less blood loss
- Faster healing
- Lower risk of complications
What Is a Laparoscopy and What Happens During Laparoscopy?
Before the procedure, you will receive instructions on how to prepare, including fasting and medication guidelines. On the day of the surgery, you will be given anesthesia to ensure you are comfortable during the procedure. We’ll make one to four small incisions.
The laparoscope, along with other specialized instruments, is carefully inserted through these incisions. The camera on the laparoscope allows us to visualize the internal organs and tissues on the monitor.
Once the issue is identified, we’ll perform whatever procedure is needed. This may involve taking tissue for a biopsy or removing a cyst.
Are You Put to Sleep During a Laparoscopy?
A laparoscopy is performed under general anesthesia. This means you’ll be “asleep” during the surgery. During the procedure, we’ll carefully monitor your vital signs. You’ll then be taken to recovery where our dedicated staff will continue to watch you until you “awake.”
What Is a Laparoscopy? An Advanced Development for Modern Medicine
By providing a minimally invasive option for treatment, we can offer our patients the benefit of a faster recovery with less pain and reduced scarring. If you need a laparoscopy, we’ll work closely with you, answering all your questions and remaining by your side every step of the way from diagnosis to recovery and beyond.
Associates in Women’s Healthcare: Helping You Take Healthier Steps Toward the Future
If you have gynecological issues that require minimally invasive surgery, our dedicated gynecologists have decades of experience in helping women from all stages of life. We take a conservative approach to medicine—this means that we will not perform surgery unless it is absolutely necessary and more noninvasive treatments have not been successful.
We’re pleased to offer laparoscopic surgery to give you another option to get the quality healthcare you need while taking advantage of the latest medical technology.
If you’re having gynecological issues, please don’t delay treatment. Schedule an appointment with one of our providers today.
