Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique in which the abdominal or pelvic cavity is accessed through several small incisions rather than one large one. A laparoscope carrying a camera and light source is inserted through one port, and long instruments are passed through the others, with the surgeon operating while viewing a magnified image on a monitor.
To create working space, the abdomen is insufflated with carbon dioxide, producing a pneumoperitoneum. Carbon dioxide is used because it is highly soluble in blood and does not support combustion, which matters when diathermy is in use.
Compared with open surgery, laparoscopy generally means less postoperative pain, smaller scars, lower wound infection rates, shorter hospital stay and faster return to normal activity. The trade-offs are a longer operating time in some cases, a substantial learning curve, loss of direct tactile feedback and specific risks associated with port insertion and insufflation, including injury to bowel or vessels and gas embolism. Conversion to an open procedure is always a possibility and should be part of the consent discussion.
Laparoscopy is heavily device dependent: stack systems, high definition or 4K cameras, insufflators, energy devices, staplers and increasingly robotic platforms that translate the surgeon's hand movements into instrument motion. That dependence brings its own governance requirements, covering equipment maintenance, decontamination of reusable instruments, staff training on each specific system and traceability of implanted or single-use items.
.svg)
