The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Laparotomy \Lap`a*rot"o*my\, n. [Gr. ? loins + te`mnein to cut.] (Surg.) A cutting through the walls of the abdomen, as in the Caesarean section. [1913 Webster]WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
laparotomy n 1: surgical incision into the abdominal wall; often done to examine abdominal organs