Update in paediatric minimally invasive surgery

The development of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is no doubt a major breakthrough in the history of paediatric surgery and has revolutionized the approach to many major indexed operations. Over the past two decades, it has indeed come a long way. In addition to smaller incisions and the superior cosmetic outcome, MIS is associated with faster recovery in majority of the operations. Since early 1990s, the number and complexity of operations being performed with MIS approach has increased exponentially. In this respect, Asian and in particular, Chinese surgeons have become the super-experts due to the vast patient numbers. In recent years, even more advanced MIS technique and technology including single incision laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery have emerged to replace conventional MIS in selected operations.

In this special issue, experts from different parts of the world will focus on the latest MIS development in paediatric general surgery, liver surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, thoracic surgery and urology. The pros and cons as well as potential problems of MIS approach in these operations will be discussed with reference to current scientific evidence. We hope readers will appreciate the content of each articles and will be able to apply the knowledge in clinical practice. Last but not the least, we would like to thank all the authors for their excellent contributions.

Acknowledgments

The guest editors would like to acknowledge all the authors contributing to the success of this issue.

Funding: None.

Footnote

Provenance and Peer Review: This article was commissioned by the editorial office, Annals of Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Surgery for the series “Paediatric Minimally Invasive Surgery”. The article did not undergo external peer review.

Conflicts of Interest: Both authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/ales.2019.04.03). The series “Paediatric Minimally Invasive Surgery” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. KKYW and PHYC served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Kenneth K. Y. Wong

Patrick Ho Yu Chung