Minimally invasive surgery
Minimally invasive surgery is an effective surgical method that is less intrusive than traditional surgery. By using small incisions and instruments, we are able to create positive surgical outcomes that typically have minimal scarring, faster recovery times and shorter hospital stays.
Minimally invasive pediatric surgery in Denver
Surgery can be scary for kids, but we work to minimize those fears as much as possible.
The minimally invasive surgery program at HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children's at Presbyterian St. Luke's offers options for exceptional care, reduced pain and faster returns to normal activity. We specialize in assessing children of all ages, including newborns, and improving their immediate and long-term wellness.
Expert advice, available 24/7
Free health-related advice is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Free health-related advice is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Related specialties
Learn more about our related specialties.
Conditions and congenital abnormalities we treat
Minimally invasive surgery can treat acute or congenital conditions just as effectively. No matter when the condition begins, our pediatric surgeons are highly skilled in treating:
- Aortic stenosis
- Atrial septal abnormality
- Atrioventricular canal
- Cardiomyopathy
- Chest deformity
- Chiari malformation
- Cleft palate
- Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
- Craniosynostosis
- Duodenal atresia
- Duodenal duplication
- Eisenmenger syndrome
- Empyema
- Esophageal atresia tracheoesophageal fistula
- Esophageal duplication
- Fallopian tube cyst
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Gastroschisis
- Hirschsprung's disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
- Imperforate anus
- Inguinal hernia
- Intestinal atresia
- Intussusception
- Meckel's diverticulum
- Omphalocele
- Ovarian cyst
- Ovarian torsion
- Pancreatic pseudocyst
- Patent ductus arteriosus
- Pericarditis
- Pulmonary atresia
- Pulmonary sequestration
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Pyloric stenosis
- Reflux in kids with asthma
- Spasticity
- Spina bifida
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Thoracoscopic lung abnormalities
- Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
- Transposition of the great arteries
- Tricuspid atresia
- Turners syndrome
- Ulcerative colitis
- Urachal remnant
- Ventricular septal abnormalities
Minimally invasive surgical services we offer
We offer a full spectrum of minimally invasive surgeries for infants, children and adolescents, including neonatal surgeries and robotic pediatric surgery techniques. These leading-edge surgeries are performed in advanced operating rooms and allow your child to spend less time in the hospital and in recovery.
Minimally invasive surgeries we offer
Our teams are pioneers and experts in minimally invasive techniques for children and adolescents. We even have the resources and skills to perform minimally invasive procedures on infants, including newborns who require surgery immediately after birth.
Some common pediatric minimally invasive procedures we perform include:
- Adhesiolysis
- Anti-reflux and hiatal hernia repair
- Appendectomy
- Bronchogenic cyst removal
- Cholecystectomy
- Choledochal cyst repair
- Crohn's and bowel resection
- Diaphragmatic hernia repair
- Ladd's procedure for malrotation
- Lung biopsy
- Nissen fundoplication
- Ovarian cyst
- Ovarian torsion
- Pancreatic pseudocyst
- Splenectomy and splenic cystectomy
- Thoracoscopic lung resections
- Thoracoscopic-assisted Nuss bar placement
We prioritize minimally invasive surgical techniques whenever possible because of the numerous benefits they can provide for you. However, not everyone is a suitable candidate, so it is important to consult with your physician about all possible surgical options.
Robotic technology
While robots have been used during surgery for years, the systems have been largely designed for adults with instrumentation and layouts that aren’t right for kids. Knowing that robot-assisted surgery is the future, our pediatric experts sought to find a better solution for our patients. And now we are the first dedicated pediatric hospital in the U.S. to use a new pediatric robotic system.
Our robot uses enhanced intelligence to support our surgeons during surgery. The surgeon has full control of the technology while sitting in an open cockpit in the operating room. This design is not only better for the surgeon’s comfort, it also allows the surgeon to see the whole patient and the surgical team — a layout that is different than most adult surgical robots. While at the cockpit, the surgeon’s eyes control the camera used in the surgical site, allowing for natural movement. In addition, this robot allows our team to use instruments and incisions less than one-half the size of the current commercially used robotic system, making it much more suitable for our young patients.
By using the robot, patients often have less blood loss, fewer complications, less pain, shorter hospital stays, faster recoveries and diminished scarring. Ask your doctor if pediatric robotic surgery is right for your child’s needs.
High-tech operating rooms
Our specialized pediatric operating rooms for minimally invasive surgery use advanced equipment. This technology brings together information from multiple cameras and monitors, allowing the surgeon and staff to see inside and outside the body and to evaluate in real time how your child is responding to the procedure.
This technology allows for a speedier recovery with less pain and discomfort for your child. The combination of monitoring technology and cameras increases patient safety as well, with everything the team needs to know being immediately available and automatically updated throughout the surgical procedure.
The operating rooms also have additional safety measures, such as an electronic list of all equipment and confirmation of its safety testing. The surgical equipment is set to correct specifications for the size and weight of your child.
How minimally invasive surgery works
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a set of techniques that allow surgeons to operate through small incisions using a surgical telescope and specially-designed instruments. The procedure involves the use of scopes with small cameras and instruments, sometimes aided by computers and high-resolution video cameras. These surgeries can be done endoscopically, laparoscopically or thoracoscopically.
Benefits of minimally invasive surgery
By utilizing minimally invasive surgery, your child can potentially receive health benefits, such as:
- Decreased pain — Minimally invasive surgeries require only very small incisions. Smaller incisions hurt less during recovery, so less narcotic medicine is needed.
- Faster recovery time — With a less invasive surgery, there is naturally a shorter recovery time and hospital stay. With minimally invasive procedures, children often recover two-to-three times faster than with traditional surgeries. Our surgeons do everything they can to get your child back to being active as soon as possible.
- Little-to-no scarring — Children who have surgeries when they are young often must live with large scars for their entire lives. Because we have the smallest minimally invasive instruments available, we are able to minimize scarring and, in some cases, leave scars so small, they are nearly invisible.
Occasionally, a minimally invasive approach is not the right choice for your child. Some children have anatomy or physiology that makes conventional surgery a better choice. However, previous conventional surgery does not necessarily eliminate the option of using minimally invasive surgery. Regardless of the circumstance, our doctors have significant experience in all available surgical options, so the operation chosen can be the best fit for your child’s particular needs.
Minimally invasive surgery
Angelie Acosta
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