What is it used for?
For people with abdominal symptoms, laparoscopic surgery may be used to diagnose:
Tumors and other growths
Blockages
Unexplained bleeding
Infections
For women, it may be used to diagnose and/or treat:
Fibroids, growths that form inside or outside the uterus. Most fibroids are noncancerous.
Ovarian cysts, fluid-filled sacs that form inside or on the surface of an ovary.
Endometriosis, a condition in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of it.
Pelvic prolapse, a condition in which the reproductive organs drop into or out of the vagina.
It may also be used to:
Remove an ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy that grows outside the uterus. A fertilized egg can't survive an ectopic pregnancy. It can be life threatening for a pregnant woman.
Perform a hysterectomy, the removal of the uterus. A hysterectomy may be done to treat cancer, abnormal bleeding, or other disorders.
Perform a tubal ligation, a procedure used to prevent pregnancy by blocking a woman's fallopian tubes.
Treat incontinence, accidental or involuntary urine leakage.
The surgery is sometimes used when a physical exam and/or imaging tests, such as x-rays or ultrasounds, don't give enough information to make a diagnosis.
