Laparoscopy is a surgical procedure used to examine the organs in the belly (abdomen). It can also examine a woman's pelvic organs. Laparoscopy uses a thin lighted tube that has a video camera. The tube is called a laparoscope. It is put into a tiny cut (incision) in your belly.
Laparoscopic surgery can be classified as major or minor surgery depending on the nature of the procedure performed. Most laparoscopic procedures are major surgery, but gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) and getting one's tubes tied (tubal ligation) are minor surgeries.
