How long should shoulder pain last after laparoscopic surgery?

A few days: Shoulder pain following laparoscopy is believed to be due to irritation of the diaphragm by the carbon dioxide that is used to inflate the abdomen. This pain should resolve within 2 to 3 days after surgery.

Varies: The gas pain will go away quickly in most cases. The specific time will depend on a number of factors including how long was the surgery, what was done during the surgery, how heavy is the patient, how quickly can the patient be up and ambulating, etc. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Which type?: I assume you mean arthroscopic surgery. Certain procedures such as repairing a torn cartilage have very little pain. Others, such as rotator cuff repair or major spur removal can be sore for 3-4 weeks. The difficult part is that each patient has a different pain tolerence that needs to be factored into the equation as well. Overall though, only minor pain usually.