Glossary of Terms

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• Laparoscope

  A thin, lighted telescope-like viewing instrument that is inserted through a small incision or natural orifice to examine and operate on abdominal and pelvic structures. Similar technology is used in an endoscope. “Laparo” is derived from the Greek root for abdomen and pelvis; however devices similar to laparoscopes are used for other parts of the body such as thoroscopes for chest surgery.

• Laser Doppler Imaging

  A technique used to measure the total local microcirculatory blood perfusion including the perfusion in capillaries, arterioles, venules and shunting vessels. The technique is based on the emission of a scanning beam of laser light and the Doppler shift that occurs when light particles hit moving blood cells.