1. 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.