Diagnostic or Operative Laparoscopy
Diagnostic laparoscopy
A minimally invasive outpatient surgical procedure using 2-3 small holes made through the umbilicus and abdominal wall allowing passage of a telescope camera and instruments into the abdominal cavity and pelvis while the patient is under general anesthesia. This procedure is recommended for patients who may have any number of conditions that affect the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries.
If infertility has been longstanding for many years, or a woman has a medical history suspicious for an abnormality of the pelvis, an evaluation with laparoscopy may be warranted. Operative laparoscopy is more complex surgery used to restore a woman’s pelvic anatomy in order to enhance fertility, or provide access to the pelvis in order to remove or separate the fallopian tubes from the uterus prior to proceeding with IVF, as may be indicated in some women with tubal disease that may compromise implantation of a healthy embryo.