Laparoscopic Surgery

The laparoscope has been one of the key advances in surgery, making much of minimally invasive surgery today possible.

A laparoscope is a thin, fiber-optic tube that has a tiny video camera at its tip. The laparoscope is inserted through a small incision, generally but not always, in the navel, and guided to the problem area. The surgeon then inserts tiny surgical instruments through other small incisions to perform a procedure.

How Laparoscopic Surgery Works

After the incision is made and the laparoscope inserted, the surgeon looks at the images being captured by the laparoscope on a monitor similar to a television screen. This enables the surgeon to check the organ and surrounding tissues, take samples for examination under a microscope or even remove a tumor (instruments for cutting and removing tissue are part of the procedure).

Advantages of Laparoscopic Surgery

The major benefit of laparoscopic surgery is that it only requires a few small incisions. This means less pain and external scarring and healing may be faster than traditional, open surgery.

Another advantage is that the images created by the laparoscope are magnified when they appear on the monitor. This gives the surgeon more detail about the tissues than might be available using traditional surgery.

Gynecologic Conditions That Can Be Treated with Laparoscopic Surgery

Laparoscopic surgery at the Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecological Surgery is used to treat:

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