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What is Minimally Invasive Surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is surgery done through little incisions using small surgical tools and telescopes. Some of the benefits of MIS are less surgical pain, less scarring, smaller incisions, quicker recovery with shorter hospital stays and an earlier return to normal daily activities.

Surgeons who perform this type of surgery have undergone extensive specialized training and also know how to perform the same operations in the traditional open manner.

Newer technologies, such as robotic-assisted surgery, offer the potential for MIS to continue to improve and offer even more benefits to pediatric patients.

Minimally invasive surgery is not appropriate for all individuals. Your surgeon will be able to tell you in which cases it may be the best choice.

What are the types of MIS?

Laparoscopic Surgery

This is a common form of MIS in which small instruments and a telescope are passed through the body wall. The instruments are used by the surgeon, who controls their movements while watching them on a video screen. This form of MIS has been used widely in adults and children. Pediatric urology usually involves operations in the abdomen, including surgery of the kidney, ureter, bladder and reproductive organs.

Endoscopic Procedures (Endourology)

This type of MIS typically involves using a scope passed through the body’s natural openings and generally involves the structures of the urinary tract. These procedures include cystoscopy (looking inside the bladder), ureteroscopy (looking inside the ureter and kidney) and percutaneous nephrostomy (looking inside the kidney by way of a small incision in the skin).

Endoscopic procedures in pediatric urology are used to treat various disorders, such as kidney and bladder stones, urinary tract infections and vesicoureteral reflux, blockages of the urinary tract and for diagnostic purposes.

Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Pediatric robotic-assisted surgery is one of the most exciting and promising areas in the field of minimally invasive surgery. Robotic technology make it ideally suited for use in a number of complex pediatric urology procedures.

The da Vinci surgical system provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy, putting a surgeon's hands at the controls of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. The da Vinci system enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with unmatched precision.

For the patient, benefits may include:

  • Significantly less pain
  • Less blood loss
  • Less scarring
  • Shorter recovery time
  • Faster return to normal daily activities
  • Better clinical outcomes