What is laparoscopic surgery?

Laparoscopy or "minimally invasive" surgery is a specialized technique for performing surgery. In the past, this technique was commonly used for gynecologic surgery and for gall bladder surgery. Over the last 10 years the use of this technique has expanded into intestinal surgery. In traditional open surgery the surgeon uses a single incision to enter into the abdomen. Laparoscopic surgery uses several 0.5-1cm incisions. Each incision is called a port. At each port a tubular instrument known as a trochar is inserted. Specialized instruments and a special camera known as a laparoscope are passed through the trochars during the procedure. At the beginning of the procedure, the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide gas to provide a working and viewing space for the surgeon. The laparoscope transmits images from the abdominal cavity to high-resolution video monitors in the operating room. During the operation the surgeon watches detailed images of the abdomen on the monitor. This system allows the surgeon to perform the same operations as traditional surgery but with smaller incisions. In certain situations a surgeon may choose to use a special type of port that is large enough to insert a hand. When a hand port is used the surgical technique is called "hand assisted laparoscopy". The incision required for the hand port is larger than the other laparoscopic incisions, but is usually smaller than the incision required for traditional surgery.

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What are the advantages of laparoscopic surgery?

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• Patients often experience less pain,

• Shorter recovery,

• Less scarring with laparoscopic surgery.​​

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What kinds of operations can be performed using laparoscopic surgery?

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  1.    Laparoscopic Ovarian Cystectomy
   •    Simple ovarian cyst
   •    Endometrioma (conservative)
   2.    Laparoscopic Adhesiolysis
   •    Peritubal / peri-ovarian adhesions
   3.    Laparoscopic Myomectomy
   •    Subserosal or intramural fibroids
   4.    Laparoscopic Treatment of Endometriosis
   •    Excision / ablation of superficial endometriosis
   5.    Laparoscopic Tubal Surgery
   •    Fimbrioplasty
   •    Salpingostomy (distal tubal block)
   6.    Laparoscopic Ovarian Drilling
   •    PCOS (clomiphene-resistant)
   7.    Laparoscopic Detorsion of Ovary
   •    With or without cystectomy
   8.    Laparoscopic Salpingectomy
   •    Hydrosalpinx (before IVF)