Laparoscopy, literally translated, is a method of examining, or viewing, the inside of the abdominal cavity. It has long been used to diagnose various diseases located in the abdominal cavity. Today, in addition to diagnostic laparoscopy, operative laparoscopy is becoming increasingly important thanks to the ongoing modernization of equipment. The so-called video system makes it possible to display the entire procedure on a television screen and document it. There are several types of laparoscopes. They all share the same principle: a rigid tube is inserted into the abdominal cavity through a small, centimeter-long incision; the tube serves as a light path for the image being viewed.
The endoscope itself is built on the fairly simple principle of a periscope. In older endoscopes, the light source was located at the end of the instrument. This limited the brightness of the illumination, creating many inconveniences during the examination. Modern laparoscopes use “cold light,” whose powerful source is located outside the body and conveyed to the instrument through an optical fiber. Improvements to the optical system brought further technical progress in the construction of laparoscopes. Through the endoscope, and under visual control, various instruments can be inserted depending on the purpose of the examination. During diagnostic examinations, after carefully viewing the abdominal cavity, a biopsy can be performed—that is, a tissue fragment can be taken for microscopic examination from an organ suspected of disease. Diagnostic laparoscopy detects various diseases of the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, spleen, kidneys, urinary bladder and female reproductive organs. The particular value of this method lies in the possibility of detecting cancerous diseases at an early stage, creating a chance for their complete cure. The use of laparoscopy often avoids a more burdensome procedure, namely the surgical opening of the abdominal cavity. Many different surgical, gynecological and urological procedures can be performed during laparoscopic operations. Examples of such operations include removal of a gallbladder filled with stones, removal of the appendix, removal of a uterus affected by fibroids, ovarian operations, and operations to remove the prostate gland. Performing an operation with a laparoscope significantly shortens the patient’s hospital stay after surgery.
For example, after a traditionally performed gallbladder removal, this period is 8–10 days, while after a laparoscopic procedure it is only two days. The return to a normal lifestyle is also clearly shorter. Laparoscopes currently being produced have sets of instruments that allow the full range of diagnostic examinations and surgical procedures. The current cost of such an apparatus is approximately PLN 900 million. Having such equipment at the Hospital in Bolesławiec would expand the possibilities for diagnosing and treating many diseases of the abdominal cavity. It is worth making a community effort to achieve this goal.