Innovations in pediatric surgery.

The medical profession has seen tremendous growth in the past several decades, and recent advances in surgery have led to minimally invasive procedures and improved outcomes. Some of the best examples of technologic innovation in surgery can be found in the relatively young field of pediatric surgery. In this review, we describe several new techniques and novel surgical approaches to pediatric disease that continue to move the field of pediatric surgery forward. Pediatricians are well served to become more aware of these innovations, so that they might refer suitable patients as needed. MINIMALLY INVASIVE PEDIATRIC SURGERY Minimally invasive surgery in the adult population has been associated with shorter hospital courses, quicker return to activity, improved pain control, and smaller incisions for better cosmesis. As technology has improved and instruments have become smaller and more flexible, the use of laparoscopy for treatment of pediatric surgical disease has grown. Pediatric surgeons can now use minimally invasive approaches for more complex cases and are developing innovative techniques for common procedures. One established area of minimally invasive pediatric surgery is in the treatment of pectus excavatum. In 1998, Nuss1 described a minimally invasive approach to the repair of pectus excavatum with placement of a contoured Innovations in Pediatric Surgery