There are many centres that have introduced this technique in their daily
clinical practice; however results are not always satisfactory and this is,
on one side, due to the indications, which are not always clear, and on the
other side to the experience of the staff carrying out the laparoscopy.
This article will both illustrate the chief indications for videosurgery (laparoscopy,
thoracoscopy and lumboscopy), especially with respect to pathologies affecting
the digestive and urinary systems, and provide a number of (not only technical)
principles, which ought to be adopted by whoever practices videosurgery in
the paediatric age. In addition, based on the data made available by international
literature, we can infer that the “learning curve” in videosurgery is longer
than in open surgery, and therefore it is necessary for those who approach
videosurgery to have not only an in-depth knowledge of the paediatric surgical
pathologies but also a solid practical training.