What does laparotomy mean?
Laparotomy is a surgical term for an operation that opens the abdominal wall so a surgeon can examine or treat organs and tissues inside the abdominal cavity. It is used especially in clinical settings when describing emergency access to the abdomen, and it is strongly associated with open surgery rather than keyhole techniques. In medical reports and conversations among professionals, the word can refer either to the incision itself or, more commonly, to the operation performed through it. The phrase “emergency laparotomy,” for example, indicates that surgery is being undertaken to address a sudden, potentially critical abdominal condition. Although the term may sound forbidding to a general reader, it names a familiar surgical approach. Knowing it helps make sense of medical headlines, case histories, and descriptions of operations, while understanding the related term laparoscopy clarifies why two abdominal procedures often described as similar involve very different access methods.
nounA surgical operation involving an incision through the abdominal wall to access organs or tissues within the abdominal cavity.
- A surgical operation involving an incision through the abdominal wall to access the abdominal cavity; the term may also refer to the incision itself.
"The surgeon performed a laparotomy to locate the source of the bleeding."
"The surgeon performed a laparotomy to locate the source of the bleeding."
"The patient underwent an emergency laparotomy after the scan suggested severe internal injury."
The standard plural is laparotomies, used when referring to multiple abdominal operations.
"The surgeon had performed hundreds of laparotomies during her career."
The name literally means “cutting into the abdomen”: Greek lapara refers to the abdomen, while the suffix -tomy means cutting.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does laparotomy come from?
Laparotomy was formed in English during the 19th century from Greek lapara, meaning “abdomen,” and -tomy, from Greek tome, meaning “a cutting.” The components reflect the procedure's original sense of surgically cutting into the abdominal cavity. Its relatives laparoscope, laparoscopy, and laparoscopic share the same abdominal root but apply it to examination and minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Related word forms
How laparotomy is actually used
This is chiefly a clinical and surgical term. The unqualified word generally denotes an open abdominal operation rather than a minimally invasive procedure.
Easily confused with laparotomy
A laparotomy is an operation involving an incision into the abdomen, whereas laparoscopy is an examination or procedure performed through a small incision using a laparoscope.