When patients have abdominal pain, but there is no immediate cause, a general surgeon can perform an exploratory laparotomy to investigate the source of pain. This procedure is performed by making an incision in the middle of the abdomen so the surgeoncan clearly and directly inspectthe patient’s organs.The incision for a laparotomy is usually the length of the belly, but there will only be one incision made.
Alternatively, a surgeoncan perform an exploratory laparoscopy. This minimally invasive procedure uses tiny incisions and a laparoscope to inspect the internal organs. Healing from this procedure usually takes much less time than a laparotomy.