Laparoscopy
Laparoscopy and hysteroscopy are forms of endoscopic gynecological surgery. The term laparoscopy indicates that this technique involves examining the internal organs using a fiber-optic camera (cold light) without the need to open the abdominal wall. Endoscopy has been used successfully for decades in nearly all gynecological procedures.
In laparoscopy, the entire procedure is performed through small incisions (5 to 11 millimeters), after the abdominal cavity has been inflated with CO₂ gas to facilitate surgical maneuvers. This technique is based on the current global surgical consensus regarding minimally invasive surgery. The self-illuminating telescopic camera and specialized laparoscopic instruments are inserted into the abdominal cavity through small incisions and essentially serve as an extension of the surgeon’s hands, allowing them to use them outside the body to perform surgical procedures inside the abdominal cavity. The entire procedure is displayed on television screens, from which the surgeon views and operates, and is digitally recorded.
After much deliberation, laparoscopic surgery has proven to be an effective method for treating pathological conditions of the internal genital organs, due to its significant advantages over traditional surgery. The short hospital stay (1–2 days), low hospitalization costs, reduced postoperative pain due to the small incision size, the lower rate of postoperative adhesions, and the possibility of performing endoscopic surgery during diagnostic laparoscopy have established laparoscopic surgery as the method of choice for treating most pathological conditions of the internal reproductive organs.
Which gynecological procedures can be performed laparoscopically?
- Sterilization
- Test to check fallopian tube patency (using a dye injection)
- Removal of the fallopian tube, either in whole or in part, due to an ectopic pregnancy
- Ovarian removal
- Ovarian cyst removal
- Fibroid Removal
- Removal of the uterus (suprapubic hysterectomy) with or without removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes
- Removal of the uterus and cervix (total hysterectomy) with or without removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes
- Treatment of endometriosis, when it involves removal of endometriotic cysts, removal of endometrial tissue, or ablation of endometriotic lesions.
- Adhesion lysis
- Surgery on the fallopian tubes to treat infertility caused by their blockage.
- Surgery for early-stage uterine and cervical cancer.