Abstract
Since its implementation three decades ago, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has become an essential part of the armamentarium of the paediatric surgeon. For some conditions, such as appendicitis and cholelithiasis, MIS has become the standard of treatment, and for others, such as pyloric stenosis, it has shown superiority over open surgery in an RCT1. MIS procedures were initially pioneered by a few trained paediatric surgeons, but with time they have been integrated into the paediatric surgery training curriculum1. Nonetheless, only a few studies exist on the actual exposure of paediatric surgery trainees to MIS procedures during their years of surgical education. A recent study2 analysed MIS exposure among US and Canadian paediatric surgery trainees, based on national data reports of paediatric surgery fellowships, and reported significant variability in MIS exposure among trainees. Yet, little is known about the MIS exposure of paediatric surgery trainees in Europe.
The aim of this survey was to evaluate the variability of MIS training in European paediatric surgery training programmes.