In popular culture depictions of surgery, a scalpel-wielding doctor usually cuts an abdomen wide open, before rootling around in a person’s viscera and depositing some organ onto a tray.
But the reality is much less gory and cinematic. Most surgeries nowadays can be done through laparoscopy, commonly known as keyhole surgery. Tiny incisions are made in the patient’s body, through which small tubes with cameras and very thin surgical instruments are passed. This allows for minimally invasive procedures with smaller scars and faster recovery time, but it’s incredibly difficult work.
