The Robotic Surgery in Pediatric Urology Program

Robotic Surgery in Pediatric Urology Program

The Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) / USC Robotic Surgery Program in Pediatric Urology is the only dedicated pediatric robotic surgery program in California, and the largest pediatric robotic surgery program in the Southwestern United States. CHLA / USC is one of the few children's hospitals that provide this advanced minimally invasive surgery to children for their pediatric urology conditions. We use the Da Vinci Surgical System from Intuitive Surgical (Sunnyvale, CA).

The benefits of robotic surgery, as an alternative to open surgery, include:

a) Smaller incisions
b) Shorter hospital stays
c) Decreased postoperative pain medication requirements
d) Improved cosmetic appearance after surgery.

Robotic surgery in pediatric urology is being used for:
1) Ureteropelvic Junction (UPJ) Obstruction/Pyeloplasty
2) Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR)/Ureteral Reimplantation
3) Kidney Surgery, including kidney stone removal
4) Ureteral Reconstruction
5) Bladder Reconstruction / Augmentation

Our pediatric patients are usually discharged home sooner than with open surgery (usually after only 1 night in the hospital), and they use less pain medications than children who underwent open surgery (1).

To date, our surgeons have performed over 200 robotic surgeries in children for their pediatric urology conditions, which makes us one of the most experienced programs for pediatric robotic surgery in the U.S. Our pediatric robotic surgeons include Dr. Andy Chang, Dr. Roger De Filippo, Dr. Steve Kim, and Dr. Chester Koh, who serves as the director of the CHLA Robotic Surgery Program.

Our program also serves as a pediatric robotic surgery research center and training center for pediatric surgical specialists (2 - 5).

For more information, please contact:
Chester J. Koh, MD
Director, CHLA Robotic Surgery Program
Division of Pediatric Urology, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
4650 Sunset Boulevard, Mailstop 114
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Office: 323-361-2247
Fax: 323-361-8034
Email: ckoh@chla.usc.edu

For the Da Vinci Pediatric Robotic Surgery website, please click here.

Behan JW, ..., and Koh CJ. Human Capital Gains Associated with Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty in Children Compared to Open Pyeloplasty. Journal of Urology, October 2011 (in press).
Chandrasoma S, ..., and Koh CJ. Straight-arm Positioning and Port Placement for Pediatric Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Renal Surgery. Journal of Robotic Surgery 4:29-32, 2010.
Yamzon J, ..., and Koh CJ. Pediatric Robotic-assisted Laparoscopic Excision of Urachal Cyst and Bladder Cuff (Techniques in Endourology). Journal of Endourology 22(10): 2385-8, 2008.
Yamzon J, ..., and Koh CJ. Pediatric Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Excision of Urachal Cyst and Bladder Cuff (Video). Journal of Endourology Part B, Videourology, Vol. 24, Issue 1, March 1, 2010. doi: 10.1089/ vid.2009.0052.
Kokorowski P, ..., and Koh CJ. Pediatric Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty Using a Transmesenteric Approach. Journal of Endourology Part B, Videourology. Vol. 24, Issue 4, August 31, 2010. doi: 10.1089/ vid.2010.0044.

For more information about our Robotic Surgery Program, including a video, please click here.

For more information on the CHLA-USC Pediatric Robotic Surgery Program, please click here.