Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Laparotomy \Lap`a*rot"o*my\, n. [Gr. ? loins + ? to cut.]
   (Surg.)
   A cutting through the walls of the abdomen, as in the
   C[ae]sarean section.

Source : WordNet®

laparotomy
     n : surgical incision into the abdominal wall; often done to
         examine abdominal organs