An operation in which the surgeon performs laparoscopic surgery while sitting at a console a few feet away from the patient and looking at a video monitor through binocular-like lenses. Using hand and foot pedals, the surgeon's movements are translated into real-time actions of three robotic arms — one holds a camera/fiber-optic light and the other two arms hold tiny instruments at their tips. The advantage of this technique over conventional laparoscopic surgery is that the robotic arms give surgeons more degrees of motion than the human wrist, which allows them to perform procedures that require very intricate maneuvers and complex suturing.

As with conventional laparoscopic surgery, your child will have a smaller scar and is likely to recover faster after surgery with less pain — and less need for narcotic pain killers that may have unpleasant side effects. In addition, children who have minimally invasive surgeries typically have shorter hospital stays. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery.