Minimally Invasive Procedures
UW Health surgeons use minimally invasive surgical techniques whenever possible. Minimally invasive surgery offers many benefits to patients, including less pain, shorter hospital stays and a quicker return to the lifestyle to which they're accustomed.
What types of minimally invasive surgery do we perform?
Bariatric/Foregut
- Cardiac/Cardiothoracic/Thoracic
- Colorectal
- Endocrine Surgery
- Hand and Upper Extremity
- Hepatobiliary
- Neurosurgery
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Oncology
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery
- Pediatric Surgery
- Plastic and Reconstructive
- Robotic Surgery
- Spine Surgery
- Surgical Oncology
- Transplant
- Urology
- Vascular
- Hernia:
- Foregut:
- Enterra Therapy (Gastric Electrical Stimulation or GES)
- Laparoscopic and robotic antireflux surgery, including:
- Nissen Fundoplication
- Dor Fundoplication
- Toupet Fundoplication
- LINX (laparoscopic lower esophageal sphincter augmentation)
- Transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF)
- Minimally invasive treatment of achalasia, including:
- Bariatric:
- General surgery:
Learn more about Bariatric/Weight Management Surgery and General Surgery at UW Health.
Cardiac/Cardiothoracic/Thoracic Surgery
- VATS (Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery) Lobectomy/Lung Resection
- MIE (Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy)
- VATS Lung Volume Reduction Surgery
- EBUS (Endobronchial Ultrasound)
- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
- EMR (endomucosal resection)
- Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction with PneumRx coils
- Navigational bronchoscopy for lung biopsy
- Robotic or VATS thymectomy
- MIS foregut and hiatal surgery including:
- Laparoscopic paraesophageal hernia repair
- Laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery (Nissen, Toupet, Dor fundoplication)
- Laparoscopic redo anti-reflux surgery
- Laparoscopic myotomy and fundoplication for achalasia/other esophageal motility disorders
- Laparoscopic and VATS diaphragm plication
- Robotic epicardial pacemaker lead placement
- Non-sternotomy (right mini-thoracotomy) approaches for mitral and aortic valve surgery
- Small incision cardiac surgery (valve and CABG)
- Laporoscopic surgery for:
- Laparoscopic or robotic ileoanal pouch procedure
- Single-incision laparoscopic colon resections
- Robotic Surgery for the Treatment of Colon and Rectal Cancer
- Natural orifice approaches for the treatment of early stage rectal cancer and benign polyps of the rectum, such as Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS) and Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM)
- Laparoscopic ileostomy/colostomy creation or takedown
- Laparoscopic repair of parastomal hernias
Learn more about Colon and Rectal Surgery at UW Health
- Adrenal Tumors
- Hyperparathyroidism
Learn more about Endocrine Surgery at UW Health
- Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release
- Mini-open carpal tunnel release
- Endoscopic cubital tunnel release
- Wrist arthroscopy with arthroscopic debridement
- Elbow arthroscopy with arthroscopic debridement
- Shoulder arthroscopy with arthroscopic rotator cuff repair
- Whipple Procedure
- Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR)
- Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
- Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS)
- Pancreas, stomach and liver surgery
- Gallbladder surgery
All aspects of neurosurgery use minimally invasive techniques, when appropriate.
- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
- Neuroendovascular Surgery
- Endoscopy
- Deep Brain Stimulation
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- Intraoperative MRI
Learn more about Neurosurgery at UW Health
Hysteroscopic uterine surgery for:
- Biopsy or polyp removal
- Ablation
- Fibroid removal
- Fallopian tube occlusion (sterilization)
- Foreign body removal
- Diagnostic
- Adhesions
- Division/resection of septum
Laparoscopic or robotic surgery for:
- Fibroid Removal (Myomectomy)
- Presacral neurectomy
- Hysterectomy
- Robotic Hysterectomy
- Supracervical Total Hysterectomy
- With or without tube(s) and/or ovary(ies)
- Total
- Radical
- Lesion removal
- Ovarian cyst removal
- Ovarian remnant removal
- Vaginal suspension (sacral colpopexy)
- Tube(s) and/or ovary(ies) removal
- Tubal ligation/sterilization
- Tubal opening/reconstruction (tubal reanastamosis)
- Ectopic pregnancy (outside the uterus)
- With/without removal of tube and/or ovary
- Excision of endometriosis
Vaginal surgery for:
- Pelvic repair (i.e., colpopexy, colporrhaphy, anterior/posterior repairs, etc.)
- Incontinence
- Hysterectomy
- With or without tube(s) and/or ovary(ies)
Laparoscopic, robotic or single-site surgery for the treatment of diagnosed or suspected cervical, uterine, vulvar or ovarian cancer as well as gestational trophoblastic disease:
- Oophorectomy (or salpingo-oophorectomy)
- Radical trachelectomy
- Simple or radical hysterectomy
- Lymph node dissection, lymph node debulking, lymphadenectomy or sentinel lymph node biopsy
- Cancer staging/debulking
- Ovarian transposition (prior to radiation for maintenance of ovarian function)
Learn more about Obstetrics and Gynecology at UW Health
- Percutaneous treatment of certain bone and soft tissue tumors
- Metastatic (cancerous) lesions to the long bones, spine and pelvis
Learn more about the UW Carbone Cancer Center
- Hip surgery:
- Repair, reconstruction and debridement of labral tears
- Removal of bony impingement
- Tendon releases (iliopsoas)
- Repair of hip abductor and hamstring muscle and tendon tears
- Greater trochanteric bursectomy
- Tendon lengthenings (iliotibial band)
- Removal of loose intra-articular fragments ("loose bodies")
- Reduction and internal fixation of acetabular lip fractures
- Hip replacement
- Shoulder surgery:
- Rotator cuff repair
- Shoulder stabilization and labral surgery
- Acromioplasty and Mumford procedures
- Bicep tenotomy and tenodesis
- Removal of loose bodies
- Synovial disorders of the shoulder
- Shoulder infections
- Subacromial decompression
- Distal clavicle excision
- Rotator cuff repair
- Knee:
- Meniscus surgery
- ACL, PCL reconstruction
- Cartilage restorative procedures
- Synovial disorders of the knee
- Removal of loose bodies
- Knee infection
- Knee replacement
- Knee arthoscopy
- Tibial spine avulsion fractures
Learn more about Orthopedics and Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at UW Health
Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery
- Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery for tumors of the skull base
- Transoral laser microsurgery (TLM)
- Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS)
Learn more about ENT/Otolaryngology at UW Health
- Laparoscopic procedures:
- Nissen fundoplication
- Gastrostomy button insertion
- Appendectomy
- Cholecystectomy
- Splenectomy
- Adrenalectomy
- Colectomy
- Intestinal resection
- Repair of intestinal atresia
- Pullthrough for imperforate anus
- Pullthrough for Hirschprung's disease
- Diaphragmatic hernia repair
- Resection of choledochal cyst
- Ovarian procedures
- Single-incision procedures:
- Appendectomy
- Cholecystectomy
- Splenectomy
- Ileo-cecal resections for Crohn's disease
- Thoracoscopic procedures:
- Pulmonary lobectomy
- Lung resections and biopsy
- Repair or tracheosophageal fistula
- Esophageal procedures
- Diaphragmatic hernia repair
- Bronchogenic cyst resection
- Esophageal duplication resection
- Thymectomy
- Tumor resection and biopsy
Learn more about Pediatric Surgery at American Family Children's Hospital/UW Health
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Endoscopic migraine surgery/nerve decompression
- Endoscopic Carpal tunnel surgery
- Endoscopic craniofacial surgery
- Cosmetic surgery that is minimally- or non-invasive: lasers, injections and liposuction
- Percutaneous release of Dupuytren's contractures
- Percutaneous release of trigger fingers
- Arthroscopic repair of ulnar-sided wrist ligament injuries (TFCC)
Learn more about Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at UW Health
- Robotic Colon and Rectal Surgery
- Robotic Cystectomy
- Robotic General Surgery
- Robotic Hysterectomy
- Robotic Myomectomy
- Robotic Orthopedic Surgery
- Robotic Prostatectomy
- Robotic Surgery for Throat and Larnyx Cancer
- Robotic Thoracic Surgery
- Spinal stenosis operations (laminectomy, laminoplasty, minimally invasive decompressions)
- Anterior, lateral (XLIF, DLIF, LIF) and posterior spinal fusions
- Artificial disc replacement (cervical disc arthroplasty)
- Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion
- Foraminotomy (cervical and lumbar)
- Complex and revision spinal surgery
- Microdiscectomy (usually an outpatient procedure)
- Minimally invasive spinal fusion
- Spinal deformity (scoliosis, kyphosis) correction and instrumentation
- Stabilization of spinal trauma using minimally invasive techniques
- Thoracoscopic spinal canal decompression
- Decompression and stabilization of spinal tumors
- CT-guided spinal instrumentation
- X-Stop procedure
Learn more about Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and Spine Medicine at UW Health
- Robotic whipple
- Laparoscopic whipple
- Distal pancreatectomies
- Laparoscopic liver
- Surgeries of the esophagus
Learn more about the UW Carbone Cancer Center
- Laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter placement
- Laparoscopic lymphocele drainage
- Laparoscopic nephrectomies for donors or for renal cell cancers
- Laparoscopic liver resection
- Laparoscopic cyst fenestration
- Laparoscopic ablation for liver tumors
- Robotic donor nephrectomy
Learn more about Transplant at UW Health
- A wide range of options for Minimally-Invasive Urologic Surgery
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
- Robotic Prostatectomy
- Robotic Cystectomy
- No-Scalpel Vasectomy
- Ureteroscopy for stone disease
- Shock Wave Lithotripsy
- Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL)
- Green light laser surgery for BPH: Laser surgery removes the obstructing prostate tissue and
opens a channel for urine flow from the bladder through the urethra. - Robotic, Laparoscopic and/or Hand-assist Nephrectomy
- Renal ablation
Learn more about Urology at UW Health
We offer the full range of minimally invasive treatment for all vascular disorders.
Learn more about Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Care at UW Health