Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows for a complete examination and evaluation of a woman’s pelvic and abdominal structures. Laparoscopy is an outpatient surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia in the operating room in a day care surgical center. It’s not uncommon to discover abnormalities that may prevent pregnancy but not be readily identified during a physical exam, with blood tests, or on ultrasound exam.
The procedure consists of inserting a telescope-like instrument through a small incision in the belly button. Two or three smaller incisions are then fashioned in the area above the pubic bone. Through these smaller incisions operative probes are inserted. The abdomen is then inflated using carbon dioxide gas. The physician can then:
- Inject blue dye to evaluate if fallopian tubes are open
- Evaluate the ends of the fallopian tube that are in close proximity to the ovary
- Look for any evidence of endometriosis or scar tissue formation
- Check for congenital anomalies
- Perform advanced laparoscopic surgeries
Because only small incisions are used, most patients go home the same day with less than a week of recovery. The doctors at the Fertility Center of Dallas are highly skilled in laparoscopic surgery and have performed thousands of endoscopic procedures.