Laparoscopic gynecological surgery is a minimally invasive approach that allows the surgeon to operate without making a large incision. A thin, lighted tube with a camera on the end, known as a laparoscope, is inserted into the abdomen through a small incision. The camera sends images of the inside of the body to a TV monitor in the operating room, allowing the surgeon to see and operate on the pelvic organs without having to use a long incision.
Other small incisions may be made in the abdomen to insert very fine specialized surgical instruments.
Benefits of laparoscopic gynecological surgery can include less pain compared to open abdominal surgery, fewer complications, less scarring, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery. Many patients go home the same day (outpatient surgery) or the next morning.
Laparoscopic surgery can be used to treat a variety of gynecologic conditions that previously required large incisions, including endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, ectopic pregnancy, sterilization, pelvic problems such as urinary incontinence and pelvic support problems such as uterine prolapse. It can also be used for a variety of procedures, including a laparoscopic hysterectomy and a laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy.
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