2021 Volume 67 Issue 2 Pages 147-157
This digest of reports was prepared as part of an academic encouragement award from the Juntendo Alumni Association. Ten published reports covering five different topics focusing on technical innovations and approaches to management for enhancing long-term outcomes of pediatric minimally invasive surgery (MIS) through the application of currently available technology will contribute to exposing surgical residents to sustainable training and learning opportunities that they can use to enhance their expertise and skills.
While MIS has many advantages compared with conventional open surgery, many are somewhat subjective and difficult to assess objectively. Thus, new MIS procedures require motivation, creativity, and skill to develop but are only of practical value if they can be performed safely and effectively with acceptable cost performance ratios.
Pediatric surgical patients have a much longer postoperative period than adult patients and coupled with decreased mortality and increased longevity, postoperative quality of life (QOL) is a long-term factor that pediatric surgeons are in a position to control. Because pediatric MIS requires more specific skills because of size limitations that are associated with longer learning curves, the chosen reports reflect how balancing surgical/anatomic challenges, maximizing postoperative QOL, and maintaining teaching and skill acquisition at a high standard of excellence are crucial for managing pediatric patients successfully.
