Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is widening its use of robotic surgery across pediatric specialties, bringing minimally invasive techniques to increasingly young patients.
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is expanding its robotic surgery program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, extending minimally invasive techniques across pediatric urology, gynecology and bariatric surgery. The program represents a broader effort to adapt robotic systems, already established in many adult procedures, to the particular anatomical and clinical demands of treating children.
The technology gives surgeons greater visualization and precise control of instruments while allowing procedures to be performed through smaller incisions. For pediatric patients, where operating spaces can be especially limited, that precision can reduce disruption to surrounding tissue and support shorter recovery periods. Stanford says its surgeons are now using robotic techniques for some patients as young as four months old.
Urology has been an early focus of the program, including procedures addressing abnormalities involving the ureter, bladder and kidney. Pediatric urologist Erin Grantham has spent roughly a decade developing her approach to robot-assisted procedures and is also using the technology to train residents and fellows, giving trainees an opportunity to observe and participate in techniques in real time.
The hospital expects the range of robotic procedures to continue growing. Pediatric surgeon Janey Pratt, who previously used robotic surgical tools for a decade at the Stanford Medicine Veterans Affairs hospital, is preparing to offer robotic sleeve gastrectomies and gallbladder removal procedures later this summer. Stanford is also working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on research and plans that could eventually extend the program into additional specialties, including ear, nose and throat surgery.
The expansion illustrates both the potential and complexity of bringing robotic surgery further into pediatric medicine. The technology itself is only one part of that transition: specialized surgical experience, training and careful evaluation of which procedures and patients are appropriate remain central to its use. As Stanford adds specialties, the program offers a practical example of how robotic systems developed around minimally invasive surgery are being adapted for smaller patients and a wider range of childhood conditions.
