laparotomy

noun

lap·​a·​rot·​o·​my ˌla-pə-ˈrä-tə-mē How to pronounce laparotomy (audio)
plural laparotomies
: surgical incision of the abdominal wall

Examples of laparotomy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On the day of the procedure, the surgeon performed a midline laparotomy and initially used a large-sized AWR, according to the report. Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2023 The pope underwent a laparotomy and received abdominal wall plastic surgery on Wednesday. Timothy Nerozzi, Fox News, 10 June 2023 Three patients required laparotomy. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2013 The authors present the case of a 14-year-old adolescent girl who had an apparent explosive event during a laparotomy for removal of a large gastric trichobezoar. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2012 An emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed which revealed a 4-cm perforation in the sigmoid colon. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 17 Sep. 2012 The solidified matter required laparotomy for its removal. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2012 But both can generally be done with minimally invasive procedures, like laparoscopy or mini-laparotomy (in which the surgery is performed through a single incision in the abdomen). Lane Gillespie, SELF, 29 Sep. 2022 One is a laparotomy, otherwise known as open surgery, where the surgeon makes a five to 10 cm incision to access the area. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'laparotomy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of laparotomy was in 1878

Dictionary Entries Near laparotomy

Cite this Entry

“Laparotomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laparotomy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

laparotomy

noun
lap·​a·​rot·​o·​my ˌlap-ə-ˈrät-ə-mē How to pronounce laparotomy (audio)
plural laparotomies
: surgical section of the abdominal wall
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