Historically, surgery of the abdomen and gastrointestinal tract has been carried out through incisions in the abdominal wall. However in the late 1980s a technique of operating inside the abdomen through small telescopes with long instruments was developed (laparoscopic surgery).

The benefits of this approach include less pain, shorter hospital stay and in some cases better visualisation of abdominal contents. This surgical technique has been applied to surgery for gallstones (laparoscopic cholecystectomy), hernias (laparoscopic hernia repair), as well as the assessment of intra-abdominal tumours (diagnostic laparoscopy). As technology improves, laparoscopic liver operations and bowel operations are now becoming more commonplace.