Minimally Invasive Pediatric Surgery

Minimally invasive surgery offers many advantages, including faster healing, shorter hospital stays, less pain, and reduced trauma to normal tissues.

Minimally invasive procedures

Technological advancements have now allowed surgeons to do many surgical procedures in a minimally invasive manner. Instead of traditional incisions, which may require weeks for complete healing, minimally invasive procedures use instruments that allow physicians to see inside the body and perform the needed procedures with only small incisions for more rapid healing.

Thoracoscopic procedures involve the chest, while laparoscopic procedures involve the abdomen. Scopes used in either area are useful for diagnostic testing as well as in therapeutic intervention.

Many procedures can be performed using minimally invasive techniques, from common procedures such as:

• Appendectomy (removal of appendix)
• Cholecystectomy (removal of the gall bladder)
• Pyloromyotomy (cutting pylorus for pyloric stenosis)
• Fundoplication (for the treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux disease or GERD)

to the correction of more complex congenital anomalies such as:

• Tracheo-esophageal fistula repair
• Duodenal atresia repair
• Congenital diaphragmatic hernia repair
• Chest wall reconstruction (Pectus Excavatum)

The technology for minimally invasive procedures is changing rapidly, allowing for more complex conditions to be treated minimally invasively. Families interested in minimally invasive techniques can meet with the pediatric surgery team at UTMB to discuss the options available and see if minimally invasive surgery is appropriate for their child.

Single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS)

In addition to standard laparoscopy, single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is being performed at UTMB for a number of different pediatric procedures including, but not limited to appendectomies, cholecystectomies, and reduction of intussusceptions.

SILS is a technique by which all the laparoscopic instruments are placed through the same incision at the umbilicus. The incision, which is buried within the folds of the belly button or umbilicus, is essentially lost deep down in the umbilicus and leaves no obvious scarring.  While SILS requires advanced laparoscopic skills, many common operations can now be successfully and safely completed using a single incision laparoscopic technique.