Endoscopy vs Laparoscopy: Difference and Comparison

Endoscopy and Laparoscopy refer to some procedures that are performed for diagnosing certain diseases. In these procedures, physicians penetrate or put the equipment to visualize internal parts of the body.

It is the decision of the doctor to prescribe these procedures. There are lots of differences between Endoscopy and Laparoscopy.

Key Takeaways

1. Endoscopy is a medical procedure used to examine the inside of the body using an endoscope. In contrast, laparoscopy is a surgical procedure used to examine and treat abdominal organs using a laparoscope.
2. Endoscopy is performed under local anesthesia, whereas laparoscopy requires general anesthesia.
3. Endoscopy is used to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal bleeding, whereas laparoscopy is used to diagnose and treat conditions such as appendicitis, hernias, and gallbladder disease.

Endoscopy vs Laparoscopy

The difference between Endoscopy and Laparoscopy is that endoscopy accesses the internal body parts through natural orifices like the anal canal, mouth, or vaginal hysterectomy. On the other hand, in laparoscopy, a thin tube accesses the abdominal cavity or the female pelvic organs through an incision or cut in the belly. A physician can perform an endoscopy, wherein Laparoscopy only surgeons can perform it.

Endoscopy refers to a procedure whereby using an endoscope, the internal organs are visualized by penetrating through the natural orifices like the mouth, anal canal, or vaginal hysterectomy.

An endoscope is a thin, long, and flexible tube that has a camera with a light attached at the end. Through the camera, the internal body parts are shown on a TV screen. 

Laparoscopy refers to a procedure of surgery where problems are checked in the abdomen area or female pelvic organs by inserting a laparoscope into the abdomen area through an incision.

A laparoscope is a thin tube with a camera at one end. The internal conditions can be seen through the video or image recorded by the camera on a TV screen.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Endoscopy	Laparoscopy
Definition	Endoscopy is a procedure where internal organs of the body are looked at using an endoscope that entered the body through natural orifices like the mouth, anal canal, and vaginal hysterectomy.	Laparoscopy is a procedure where problems are checked in the abdomen area or female pelvic organs by inserting a laparoscope into the abdomen area through an incision.
Purpose	The main purpose of endoscopy is to diagnose internal parts of the body with the help of an endoscope.	The main purpose of laparoscopy is to diagnose the source of abdominal or pelvic pain and if needed conduct microsurgery.
Procedure	Endoscopy is performed in the consciousness of the patient. Although sometimes patients need to receive local anesthesia, an anesthetic sprays on the backside of the throat.	Laparoscopy is performed under GA or general anesthesia where the surgeon makes several small cuts on the patient’s belly. Each cut is not more than 1 inch.
Risks	Endoscopy is a relatively safe procedure, but there are several risks like mild cramping, over-sedation, pain in the area of endoscopy, and so on involved with this procedure.	When laparoscopy is done in women 3 out of 1000 women face several complications like bleeding, infection, abdominal wall inflammation, injury to nearby blood vessels and organs.
Types	Endoscopy is performed to diagnose certain parts of the like respiratory tract, urinary tract, ear, gastrointestinal tract, female reproductive tract, and through a small incision.	The types of laparoscopic surgery include repair of hernia, removal of the gallbladder, removal of some parts of the liver, removal of the spleen, and so on.

What is Endoscopy?

Endoscopy is a procedure where the body’s internal organs are looked at using an endoscope that enters the body through natural orifices like the mouth, anal canal, and vaginal hysterectomy.

Endoscopy is performed to diagnose certain parts of the like respiratory tract, urinary tract, ear, gastrointestinal tract, female reproductive tract and through a small incision.

The endoscope was first designed in the first half of the 19th century. Endoscopy is a relatively safe and quick procedure. The main reason for this procedure is to investigate, confirm, and treatment of the internal body parts.

For endoscopy, the patent does not need to stay overnight in the hospital. It takes around one hour to complete an endoscopy.

In many types of endoscopy, patients need to fast for around twelve hours. It totally depends on the type of endoscopy.

Doctors need to be informed about the previous procedures and current medications of the patient before performing the endoscopy.

Endoscopy is a relatively safe procedure, but there are several risks like mild cramping, over-sedation, pain in the area of endoscopy, and so on involved with this procedure.

Any types of symptoms like vomiting blood, chest pain, breath shortness, dark-colored stool, and persistent and severe abdominal pain after the endoscopy need to be reported to the doctor.

What is Laparoscopy?

Laparoscopy refers to a procedure of surgery where problems are checked in the abdomen area or female pelvic organs by inserting a laparoscope into the abdomen area through an incision.

A laparoscope is a thin tube with a camera at one end. The internal conditions can be seen through the video or image recorded by the camera on a TV screen.

The types of laparoscopic surgery include repair of hernia, removal of the gallbladder, removal of some parts of the liver, removal of the spleen, and so on.

The main purpose of laparoscopy is to diagnose the source of abdominal or pelvic pain and, if needed, conduct microsurgery.

There are several benefits, like less cutting, smaller scars, very short recovery time, less pain and scars heal quickly, and less internal scarring, laparoscopy, compared to other traditional surgeries.

There is an advanced kind of laparoscopic surgery where laparoscopy is performed with the help of robots. In robotic laparoscopic surgery, the mechanical arms of the robots perform the surgery instead of holding instruments manually.

Many surgeons consider laparoscopy surgery very helpful. With robotic laparoscopy, surgeons operate the surgical instruments and the robot by looking at the monitor, which gives high-quality 3-D images of the internal part of the body.

Main Differences Between Endoscopy and Laparoscopy

1. Endoscopy accesses the internal body parts through natural orifices like the anal canal, mouth, or vaginal hysterectomy. On the other hand, in laparoscopy, a thin tube accesses the abdominal cavity or the female pelvic organs through an incision or cut in the belly.
2. The main purpose of endoscopy is to diagnose internal parts of the body with the help of an endoscope. The main purpose of laparoscopy is to diagnose the source of abdominal or pelvic pain and, if needed, conduct microsurgery.
3. Endoscopy is performed in the consciousness of the patient. Although sometimes patients need to receive local anaesthesia, generally, an anaesthetic sprays on the backside of the throat. On the other hand, Laparoscopy is performed under GA or general anaesthesia, where the surgeon makes several small cuts on the patient’s belly. Each cut is not more than 1 inch.
4. Endoscopy is a relatively safe procedure, but there are several risks like mild cramping, over-sedation, pain in the area of endoscopy, and so on involved with this procedure. When laparoscopy is done in women, 3 out of 1000 women face several complications like bleeding, infection, abdominal wall inflammation, and injury to nearby blood vessels and organs.
5. Endoscopy is performed to diagnose certain parts of the like respiratory tract, urinary tract, ear, gastrointestinal tract, female reproductive tract and through a small incision. The types of laparoscopic surgery include repair of hernia, removal of the gallbladder, removal of some parts of the liver, removal of the spleen, and so on.

References

1. https://www.proquest.com/openview/85f3353d4a3e80e6b24232a0328bc69e/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=31812
2. https://www.vetsmall.theclinics.com/article/S0195-5616(03)00058-5/fulltext