Minimally invasive surgery, which includes laparoscopy and thoracoscopy, is a group of techniques that allow surgeons to perform operations through very small incisions. A tiny video camera is placed through one incision, and working instruments are passed through others; the surgeon can then perform an operation by watching a video screen while manipulating the instruments.

Our program of minimally invasive surgery has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years, and we continue to expand the uses of this innovative approach. The procedures for which we have used minimally invasive techniques include:

· appendectomy
· cholecystectomy (removal of the gall bladder)
· diagnostic laparoscopy for chronic abdominal pain
· pull-through procedures for Hirschsprung's disease
· splenectomy
· tumor biopsy
· pectus excavatum repair
· pyloromyotomy
· treatment of empyema (infection in the chest) and pneumothorax (air trapped in the chest) and others.

Advances in video technology have enabled surgeons to perform complex procedures without the traditional unsightly and painful incisions of the past. The use of Minimal Access techniques or "Nintendo Surgery" in infants and children requires surgical and anesthetic expertise, as well as instruments specifically made for conditions common in infants and children.

The Division of Pediatric Surgery at the Babies & Children's Hospital launched the first video-assisted surgical program in the Tri-State area dedicated exclusively for children. During the last 4 years, we have performed more than 300 Minimal Access procedures have on infants and children, from the newborn period through adolescence, with a dramatic reduction in hospital stay and need for postoperative narcotics. We have used Minimal Access techniques for both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. These have included correction of acute appendicitis, pyloric stenosis, colon pull-through procedures, removal of the spleen and gall bladder, undescended testis and varicocele, ovarian cysts, abdominal and chest tumor biopsy and staging, drainage of serious chest infection after pneumonia, insertion of dialysis and shunt tubes, and treatment of children with chronic lower abdominal pain.

Laparoscopy is also being used to evaluate the "silent" (opposite) side of children undergoing inguinal hernia repair.

A note of caution: minimally invasive techniques are not right for every child, and not suitable for every surgical procedure. Please consult with us if you have questions about your own child's surgical needs.

For further information, visit:
http://www.babysurg.org

Please feel free to contact us at pedsurgery@columbia.edu