Minimally invasive surgical care in Denver

The pediatric surgeons within Rocky Mountain Pediatric Specialists' family of providers understand your concern and worry when your child needs surgery. You want assurance that your child will receive the best care possible from a skilled, compassionate surgeon.

Part of our commitment to providing advanced, patient-centered care includes keeping a focus on performing minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) whenever possible, which result in less pain and a faster recovery for your little one. Our pediatric surgeons have years of experience with and knowledge of minimally invasive surgeries for children. In fact, our surgeons have invented many of these techniques and have helped developed the instruments now used by surgeons worldwide.

For more information about our services or to find a surgeon, please schedule an appointment.

World-renowned surgeons

Our board-certified, fellowship-trained pediatric surgeons offer the most advanced surgical techniques for children of all ages. We provide a full range of pediatric surgical procedures, and our network of doctors are recognized across the world for their work in:

Experience and innovation

Minimally invasive techniques are rapidly becoming the standard for many surgeries. Our team has led the way in minimally invasive surgery for children, adapting and innovating to provide these procedures for our young patients.

For many procedures, we were first the world, the country, and the region to perform them. And by providing care at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, we have access to state-of-the-art equipment designed especially for kids as well as a larger team of support staff and providers who are solely experts in caring for kids.

Our surgeons have invented many minimally invasive surgery techniques and helped develop instruments now used by surgeons worldwide. By working with a world-class pediatric hospital, Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, we are proud to share:

  • Use of state-of-the-art operating rooms
  • Leaders in research and innovation
  • The highest patient satisfaction in the Rocky Mountain Region (Press Ganey)
  • Unparalleled access to pediatric specialists

What is minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery is a type of surgery that aims to reduce the impact of surgery on the patient. The philosophy behind the surgery aims to minimize the physiologic “costs” of an operation while simultaneously improving surgical precision.

Many types of surgery can be minimally invasive, all leading to lower complication rates, faster recovery and reduced scarring. MIS has come a long way from the earliest bulky instruments and limited capabilities. Today, instruments are much smaller and techniques more precise. As a result, we are able to work safely in even the smallest of patients. These procedures may be done in several ways:

  • Endoscopic — Describes procedures that you an endoscope, which is a thin tube with a tiny camera
  • Laparoscopic — A type of endoscopic surgery in which the endoscope is inserted through a small incision in the abdomen to access the stomach, liver and female reproductive organs, including the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes
  • Thoracoscopic — This type of endoscopic surgery is performed through a small surgical opening in the chest to access the areas around the lungs and heart
  • Robotic-assisted — This type of surgery is performed with the surgeon directly next to the patient but seated at the controls of robotic arms. These arms allow access to the tiniest areas with extreme precision

What are the benefits of minimally invasive surgery?

Rocky Mountain Pediatric Specialists are world-class pioneers of minimally invasive pediatric surgery and utilize minimally invasive surgical techniques in order to bring your child:

  • Decreased pain
  • Expert physician experience
  • Faster recovery times
  • Lower complication rates
  • Reduced blood loss
  • Reduced scarring
  • Smaller, more precise surgical movements

Our team produces results better than nationally reported averages thanks in large part to our surgeons’ breadth of experience. This expertise and unparalleled experience also allow our surgeons to create new, safer, more effective techniques.

What is the age requirement for minimally invasive surgery?

Thanks to technological advances, MIS can safely be performed on children and infants weighing as little as two pounds. Computers and high-resolution video cameras make visualization of the body's tiny structures easier by remote rather than by direct (or telescope/surgical loupe-assisted) vision. These innovations allow both surgeon and staff to evaluate in real-time, your child's response to the procedure.

Surgical conditions we treat

Some of the conditions we treat include:

  • Appendicitis
  • Congenital heart disorders
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Hernias
  • Thoracoscopic congenital lung defects
  • Ventricular septal heart disorders

Surgical services we offer

Our Rocky Mountain Pediatric Specialists also consult with pediatric physicians in other medical fields through our partnership with the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center. Through this partnership, we offer an extra level of care and access to services including state-of-the-art operating rooms, support personnel, critical care nursing, diagnostic testing and imaging services.

Many of our surgical procedures use MIS techniques. Some of the surgeries that use MIS include ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery, general surgery, gastrointestinal surgery and heart surgery. Procedures we perform include:

  • Appendectomy
  • Duodenal duplication
  • Hernia repair (umbilical, inguinal, epigastric)
  • Intussusception
  • Ladd's procedure for malrotation
  • Lung biopsies
  • Nissen fundoplication (procedure used to treat GERD/reflux)
  • Pancreatic pseudocyst
  • Thoracoscopic lobectomies
  • Thoracoscopic repair