Transforming Pediatric Surgery: Emerging Technologies, Innovation, and the Future of Surgical Care

Pediatric surgery is undergoing a period of rapid transformation driven by advances in technology, data science, biomedical engineering, and precision medicine. Emerging innovations are reshaping every stage of surgical care, from diagnosis and preoperative planning to intraoperative decision-making, postoperative recovery, and long-term follow-up. These developments offer new opportunities to improve outcomes, reduce procedural burden, and deliver increasingly personalized care for infants, children, and adolescents with surgical conditions.

Recent years have witnessed substantial progress in areas such as advanced imaging, minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, three-dimensional modeling and printing, and digital surgical planning. At the same time, advances in genomics, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and stem cell research are expanding the therapeutic possibilities available to pediatric surgeons and redefining approaches to congenital anomalies, tissue repair, and complex surgical diseases.

Despite these advances, important challenges remain regarding the implementation, evaluation, accessibility, and long-term impact of emerging technologies in pediatric surgical practice. Further research is needed to determine how innovative tools and techniques can be safely integrated into clinical workflows, improve patient-centered outcomes, and contribute to more equitable surgical care worldwide.

This Research Topic aims to bring together pediatric surgeons, neonatologists, scientists, engineers, and healthcare professionals to explore technological innovation and emerging approaches that are shaping the future of pediatric surgery. The collection seeks to highlight advances across the full spectrum of pediatric surgical care, from neonatal and congenital conditions to complex reconstructive, oncological, and minimally invasive procedures, while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between clinical and technological disciplines.

We welcome submissions addressing topics including, but not limited to:

• Robotic-assisted surgery and next-generation minimally invasive techniques in pediatric patients
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data-driven approaches to surgical decision-making and outcome prediction
• Augmented reality, virtual reality, and image-guided surgical navigation
• Three-dimensional imaging, modeling, simulation, and printing for surgical planning and education
• Digital technologies and innovations supporting perioperative care and surgical quality improvement
• Precision medicine approaches and the integration of genetic and molecular data into surgical decision-making
• Regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, stem cell therapies, and novel biomaterials for pediatric surgical applications
• Emerging technologies in neonatal surgery and the management of congenital anomalies
• Innovative approaches to pediatric surgical oncology and complex reconstructive procedures
• Advances in preoperative planning, intraoperative monitoring, and postoperative management
• Evaluation of clinical outcomes, safety, implementation challenges, and cost-effectiveness of emerging technologies
• Global perspectives on innovation, accessibility, and equitable adoption of advanced surgical technologies

By highlighting innovative technologies, novel therapeutic approaches, and future directions in surgical science, this Research Topic aims to advance the field of pediatric surgery and support the development of safer, more precise, and more effective surgical care for children worldwide.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Pediatric surgical innovation, Robotic pediatric surgery, Robotic-assisted surgery, Artificial intelligence in pediatric surgery, Machine learning

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.