Pelvic laparoscopy is surgery to examine pelvic organs using a viewing tool called a laparoscope. The surgery is also used to treat certain diseases of the pelvic organs.
Celioscopy; Band-aid surgery; Pelviscopy; Gynecologic laparoscopy; Exploratory laparoscopy - gynecologic
While you are deep asleep and pain-free under general anesthesia, the doctor makes a half-inch surgical cut in the skin below the belly button. Carbon dioxide gas is pumped into the abdomen to help the doctor see the organs more easily.
The laparoscope, an instrument that looks like a small telescope with a light and a video camera, is inserted so the doctor can view the area.
Other instruments may be inserted through other small cuts in the lower abdomen. While watching a video monitor, the doctor is able to:
After the laparoscopy, the carbon dioxide gas is released, and the surgeon closes the cuts with stitches.
The average time of surgery depends on the procedure performed.
Laparoscopy uses a smaller surgical cut than open surgery. This means you will likely have a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery. There is less blood loss with laparoscopic surgery and less pain after surgery.
Pelvic laparoscopy is used both for diagnosis and treatment. It may be recommended for:
A pelvic laparascopy may also be done to:
General anesthesia poses the risk of reactions to medications, including breathing problems. Risks for any pelvic surgery include:
Always tell your doctor or nurse:
During the days before surgery:
On the day of your surgery:
You will spend some time in a recovery area as you wake up from the anesthesia.
Often, you will be able to go home the same day as the procedure. Sometimes, you may need to stay overnight.
The gas pumped into the abdomen may cause abdominal discomfort for 1 - 2 days after the procedure. Some people feel neck and shoulder pain for several days after a laparoscopy as the carbon dioxide gas irritates the diaphragm, a pain which is felt in the shoulder. As the gas is absorbed this pain will go away. Lying down can help decrease the pain.
Your doctor will give you a prescription for pain medicine or tell you what over-the-counter pain medicines you can take.
You may resume your normal activities in fewer than 2 days. Depending on what procedure is done, you can usually begin sexual activities again as soon as the bleeding (if there is any) has stopped. Ask your doctor what is recommended for the procedure you are having. Do not lift anything over 10 pounds for 3 weeks after surgery to decrease your risk of getting a hernia in your incisions.
Call your doctor if you have:
Katz VL. Diagnostic procedures, imaging, endometrial sampling, endoscopy: Indications and contraindications. In: Katz VL, Lentz GM, Lobo RA, Gershenson DM, eds. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby; 2007: chap 11.
DeSimone CP, Ueland FR. Gynecologic laparoscopy. Surg Clin North Am. 2008;88:319-341.
Gaitán HG, Reveiz L, Farquhar C. Laparoscopy for themanagement of acute lower abdominal pain in women of childbearing age. CochraneDatabase of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD007683.
Jacobson TZ, Duffy JMN,Barlow D, Koninckx PR, Garry R. Laparoscopic surgery for pelvic pain associatedwith endometriosis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 4. Art.No.: CD001300.