Pediatric surgery, among all the surgical specialties, is the one that has perhaps evolved the most in a shorter period of time compared to the others. In 1995 van der Zee performed the first laparoscopic CDH repair and after that surgical techniques have undergone continuous improvements, up to goals that were unimaginable a few years ago, such as performing robotic-assisted surgical procedures on patients under the age of one. The evolution of techniques and knowledge has made it possible to overcome barriers, operating with minimally invasive techniques on small patients with complex pathologies while ensuring reduced postoperative pain, good cosmetic results, and short hospitalization period. In particular, robot-assisted surgery has made it easier for pediatric surgeons to perform very important reconstructive-type procedures. Just think, for example, of robotic pyeloplasty, which has become a widely performed procedure in pediatric centers, given the greater precision and accuracy of robotic instruments in performing pyelo-ureteral anastomosis. These observations have allowed the bar to be moved higher and higher until patients with choledochal cysts are now being treated robotically. At the same time, all this has made it easier for even the youngest surgeons and residents to acquire basic technical skills, increasing the speed of acquiring the learning curves necessary to be surgically autonomous. In addition, other types of technological innovations have come to the aid of pediatric surgeons, such as rendering programs that have facilitated not only the planning of more complex operations but have also made it easier to create simulations for surgical training. In this Special Issue, we want to give space to all papers that aim to describe and highlight minimally invasive surgical experiences, with more emphasis on how technological innovation combined with the surgeon's knowledge and intuition can move surgical limits forward and make the most complex procedures easier.
Pediatric surgery, among all the surgical specialties, is the one that has perhaps evolved the most in a shorter period of time compared to the others. In 1995 van der Zee performed the first laparoscopic CDH repair and after that surgical techniques have undergone continuous improvements, up to goals that were unimaginable a few years ago, such as performing robotic-assisted surgical procedures on patients under the age of one. The evolution of techniques and knowledge has made it possible to overcome barriers, operating with minimally invasive techniques on small patients with complex pathologies while ensuring reduced postoperative pain, good cosmetic results, and short hospitalization period. In particular, robot-assisted surgery has made it easier for pediatric surgeons to perform very important reconstructive-type procedures. Just think, for example, of robotic pyeloplasty, which has become a widely performed procedure in pediatric centers, given the greater precision and accuracy of robotic instruments in performing pyelo-ureteral anastomosis. These observations have allowed the bar to be moved higher and higher until patients with choledochal cysts are now being treated robotically. At the same time, all this has made it easier for even the youngest surgeons and residents to acquire basic technical skills, increasing the speed of acquiring the learning curves necessary to be surgically autonomous. In addition, other types of technological innovations have come to the aid of pediatric surgeons, such as rendering programs that have facilitated not only the planning of more complex operations but have also made it easier to create simulations for surgical training. In this Special Issue, we want to give space to all papers that aim to describe and highlight minimally invasive surgical experiences, with more emphasis on how technological innovation combined with the surgeon's knowledge and intuition can move surgical limits forward and make the most complex procedures easier.
