noun
- a surgical incision into the abdominal wall, typically to examine or treat internal organs
Usage: medical/surgical term; often used in emergency medicine and general surgery
Examples
- The surgeon performed an emergency laparotomy to stop the internal bleeding.
- A laparotomy was necessary to diagnose the cause of the patient's acute abdominal pain.
- The patient recovered well after the exploratory laparotomy revealed no serious damage.
- Laparotomy remains an important diagnostic tool when imaging studies are inconclusive.
- The medical team decided that a laparotomy was the best approach to treat the ruptured appendix.