Skip the primary navigation if you do not want to read it as the next section.
Skip the main content if you do not want to read it as the next section.
To prepare for the general anaesthetic, you will have a chest and heart examination, and blood tests, to check your general health. You will not be able to eat for some hours before the test.
On the day of the laparoscopy, you will be asked to sign the consent form.
Sometimes you are asked to consent to a laparotomy too, if the surgeon believes it may be necessary. A laparotomy is an operation in which a large cut is made, to open up your whole abdomen. This may be needed because the laparoscopy has shown problems that require immediate surgery, or because it is not possible to carry out an operation properly or safely without more direct access to your internal organs. Very occasionally it is because of accidental damage to one of your internal organs.
