LAPAROSCOPY
Laparoscopy is a minor outpatient surgical procedure performed in the operating
room under general anesthesia for diagnosis and possibly for therapy.
The abdominopelvic cavity is insufflated with pressured carbon dioxide to
distend the abdomen and lift the abdominal wall away from the viscera.
Through a port that is placed through the umbilicus, a fiberoptic scope is then
inserted to visually examine the pelvis and abdomen.
Common gynecologic indications for laparoscopy include diagnosing and
treating causes of chronic pelvic pain (e.g., endometriosis or adhesions),
resecting advanced ectopic pregnancies, and diagnosing and lysing tubal
adhesions in infertility cases.