When a child has an illness or injury that requires surgery, minimally invasive surgery, when possible, can offer a speedier recovery and less pain. The pediatric surgeons at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital provide the full spectrum of minimally invasive procedures for babies, children, and adolescents.

Leading the Way in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Johns Hopkins All Children’s pediatric surgeons are leaders in the art of minimally invasive surgical techniques, including thoracoscopy and laparoscopy, specifically designed for the unique surgical needs children face.

Our board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeons have years of training and experience. The first single-incision surgery to remove a pediatric patient’s gallbladder in the region was performed by our talented surgeons and many of the most frequently performed operations on children can be performed at our hospital as minimally invasive procedures.

About Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive, single-incision surgery uses a small incision hidden in the belly button to perform complex operations, resulting in less scarring, less pain and shorter hospital stays. Minimally invasive surgery can be performed on babies as small as 4 pounds, and is used to treat a wide variety of conditions, from the common to the complex.

The benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:

• Less injury to tissue
• Less pain
• Smaller or no visible scars
• Lower risk of infection
• Less time in the hospital
• Quicker return to school, activities and sports

Minimally invasive surgeries we specialize in include:

Chest (thoracoscopy)

• Repair of pectus excavatum
• Debridement of empyema (complication of pneumonia)
• Pneumothrorax
• Lung biopsy/lobectomy
• Sequestration
• Bronchogenic cysts
• Esophageal duplications
• Resection of pulmonary metastasis
• Aortopexy
• Sympathectomy for palmar hyperhydrosis
• Thymectomy
• Esophageal atresia/fistula

Abdomen (laparoscopy)

• ACE procedure (antegrade continent enterostomy)
• Appendectomy
• Intestinal/bowel resection
• Liver biopsy/resection
• Choledochal cyst
• Cholecystectomy
• Splenectomy
• Pancreatic resection
• Placement of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt for hydrocephalus
• Placement of peritoneal dialysis catheter
• Evaluation for trauma
• Obesity
• Inguinal hernia
• Adrenalectomy
• Nephrectomy
• Undescended testes
• Ovarian cysts/masses

Visit our Pediatric Surgical Library to learn more about Johns Hopkins All Children’s minimally invasive surgery capabilities.

To learn more about minimally invasive surgery, visit the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group and The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.