Advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic procedures in relation to the open method in pediatric surgery

Abstract

There are many studies which present advantages and disadvantages of the use of both minimally invasive and open method procedures in pediatric sur¬gery. This paper highlights the advantages of minimally invasive surgery and the resulting conclusions for use in clinical practice (e.g. the use of laparoscopy in children is associated with significantly less postoperative stress). The disadvantages of the described surgical techniques and other possible complica¬tions observed after the use of laparoscopic techniques and the open method are also presented. It was emphasized that surgical trauma, regardless of the surgical method used, causes not only a post-traumatic immune-inflammatory response of the body, but is often associated with the risk of developing infections (local or generalized) and the occurrence of recurrences. The study focuses on summarizing the current state of knowledge on minimally invasive pediatric surgery, in particular on the effectiveness of laparoscopic appendectomy, laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair and laparoscopic procedures used in pediatric oncology, taking into account postoperative immune response disorders. Moreover, progress was analyzed in the use of minimally invasive robotic surgery, which becomes an increasingly common method of treatment of many typical surgical diseases in children.