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How is it performed? of Laparoscopy
A laparoscopy is a fairly short operation. It’s normally carried out while you are under general anaesthetic, which means you’re unconscious for the whole procedure. Some people may have a local anaesthetic instead, which means you stay conscious, but the area being treated is numbed so that it’s not painful. You may have a mild sedative as well to help you to relax and feel a bit sleepy.
While you are under anaesthetic, a catheter (small flexible tube) is passed through the urethra (urine tube) into your bladder. This is used to keep the bladder empty during the operation so it is out of the way.
For the operation itself, a small cut (incision) is made just above or below your belly button. A hollow needle is put into this cut, and carbon dioxide gas is pumped into your abdomen. The gas is harmless – it’s used to slightly inflate the abdominal wall and separate the organs so they can be seen more easily. A second cut in the abdomen is then made, through which the laparoscope is gently pushed. The position of the cut depends on what’s being done – for example - women having a gynaecological investigation will usually have the incision below the belly button. The images the laparoscope records are played on a television monitor in the operating theatre.
If the laparoscopy is done as part of another surgical procedure (such as removing the appendix), then one or more further incisions will be made in your abdomen. Small surgical instruments can be pushed through these cuts and the surgeon guides them into the right place using the view from the laparoscope. Once in place, the instruments can be used to carry out minor surgery inside the abdomen.
After the operation, the gas is let out of your abdomen and the small cuts are sewn up.
Laparoscopy is normally carried out as an outpatient appointment. This means you don’t have to stay in hospital overnight and you should be able to return to school, college or work after a couple of days. In some cases, you may have to stay in hospital for a night or two – it depends on the exact procedure being carried out.
