Laparoscopy is a method of performing a surgery in which tiny cuts or incisions are made through the patient’s epidermal layer so that thin instruments and a camera can be inserted for the purpose of surgery. This allows the doctors to view the internal organs that are targeted by the surgery. It also allows the surgeons to view the tissues that may require removal. This form of surgery is quite common to operations related to the abdomen.

Though laparoscopies have been practiced medically for over a century, a safe and reliable method for the operation was not established until as recently as 1960. Over the years, this technique has evolved and become extremely popular, with more patients preferring laparoscopies to conventional forms of surgery. Laparoscopic procedures are more popular than standard surgical procedures among patients and doctors alike due to their less invasive or minimally-invasive nature.  They are also less time consuming.

Laparoscopic surgery has added a new dimension to the way surgeries are performed and this path-breaking technique has enough benefits to be perceived as the preferred surgical method.

What are the tools used in laparoscopy?

Laparoscopy is a technique that has revolutionized the way surgeries are performed. Behind this revolution is great innovation and experimentation in science and technology that has resulted in highly specialized tools for Laparoscopy.

Here are some of popular tools used in laparoscopy –

• All laparoscopic tools are used along with a laparoscope

• A video camera fitted with a light source is attached to the thin telescope in the device

• During the surgery, inert gases are used to enlarge the operating field

• Some of other popular tools include bladeless trocars, grasper, needle driver, surgical mesh etc.

Why is laparoscopy a preferred method of operating?

Over the years, laparoscopy has gained prominence across the globe for the benefits it brings to patients. Laparoscopic surgery is not only minimally invasive but also easier for doctors to perform.

Here are some of reasons why laparoscopy is preferred world-over-

• Smaller cuts or incisions on the body

• No slicing is required through the abdominal muscles

• No deep cuts are performed on any vital organs of the body

• The body suffers less trauma

• Faster recovery from surgery in the wake of smaller cuts

• The patient’s time in the hospital post-surgery is significantly reduced

What procedures or operations are performed using laparoscopy?

Doctors use laparoscopic instruments and techniques to perform a variety of procedures involving body parts as varied as knee, shoulder and abdomen. This technique is now being used to operate more areas than it was earlier.

Here are some of major procedures where laparoscopy is used –

• When there are diseased organs that require removal such as the appendix or the gallbladder

• For the treatment, or removal, of the organs of the digesting system, including colon

• In surgeries involving kidneys, ureters or the bladder

• Treatment of the urinary system

• Treatment of hernia

• To perform exploratory surgery of the abdomen

• To view or locate a tumor in the abdomen

• To check the cause of abdominal pain

• To view internal injury post-trauma