A laparoscopy is a type of surgery that lets a surgeon look inside your body without making a large incision (cut). It’s used to help diagnose and sometimes treat conditions that develop in your belly or pelvis.

To do a laparoscopy, a surgeon makes a small cut near your belly button that’s usually a half-inch long or less. The surgeon inserts a long, thin tube with a camera through the cut and into your body. This tube is called a laparoscope. The camera sends images from inside your body to a video monitor. This allows the surgeon to see inside your body.