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Laparoscopy (keyhole surgery)

Overview

Open all pages about Laparoscopy (keyhole surgery)

A laparoscopy can be used to diagnose conditions such as endometriosis, appendicitis and some cancers, and for keyhole surgery to treat conditions.

The hospital may tell you to do things like not eating or drinking, or to stop taking certain medicines, before you have a laparoscopy.

A laparoscopy usually takes 30 to 60 minutes and is done under general anaesthetic. Small cuts are made to allow a surgeon to see inside your tummy.

It can take up to 8 weeks to recover from a laparoscopy, depending on why you had one. Taking painkillers and drinking lots of fluids can help.

Laparoscopies are common and complications are rare, but can include needing open surgery, a hernia, damage to an organ and blood clots.

Laparoscopy is a type of keyhole surgery used to diagnose and treat conditions. It involves making small cuts in the tummy and using a camera.

Page last reviewed: 20/12/2023
Next review due: 20/12/2026