What is Laparoscopy?

Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive technique for viewing the internal structures of the abdominal cavity. The minimal invasiveness of the procedure, diagnostic accuracy, and rapid patient recovery make laparoscopy a preferred technique over other more invasive procedures. Small animallaparoscopy initially evolved as a diagnostic tool, but it has progressed to where there is now ever increasing interest in the application of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical procedures.

Low Risk

Laparoscopy is relatively simple to perform and considered to be safe, having few complications. Common indications for laparoscopy are to examine and biopsy the abdominal organs or masses or to perform surgical procedures.

Diagnostic Advantages

Diagnostic Laparoscopy is commonly used as a method for obtaining liver, pancreas, kidney, splenic, intestinal and tumor biopsy specimens. It is generally accepted that laparoscopy provides better biopsy tissues than other traditional methods.

Surgical Advantages

The many advantages of surgicallaparoscopy over a conventional open surgical exploratory laparotomy include improved patient recovery because of smaller surgical sites, lower postoperative morbidity, decreased infection rate, and less postoperative pain. Frequently the hospitalization and convalescence times are shorter following a laparoscopic procedure. Often the patients that are at high risk for surgical exploration may be good candidates for a less invasive laparoscopic procedure.

McCarthy, TImothy. Veterinary Endoscopy for the Small Animal Practice. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Saunders, 2005, pp.357-358