Boston -- Although adult robot-assisted surgery has been available for several years in the US, last year only 55 pediatric procedures were performed, most of them at Children's Hospital Boston. On Sunday, Oct. 20, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2002 National Conference in Boston, Craig Peters, MD, associate in Urology at Children's Hospital Boston, will present results of a cohort of patients who underwent procedures at Children's Boston. Peters is nationally recognized for his expertise in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery.

Robot-assisted surgery in both children and adults is gaining popularity because of its minimally invasive techniques and accompanying shorter recovery times. While additional studies need to be done, robot-assisted surgery also shows promise in reducing lengths of stay, less painful recovery, lower infection rates, enhanced surgical precision and improved patient outcomes.

RESEARCHERS FIND ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF FETAL CELLS FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING

Boston -- Animal studies by Children's Hospital Boston researchers show that cells obtained from amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood and the placenta during pregnancy can be engineered into increasingly specific types of fetal tissues that may be useful in repairing life-threatening congenital defects. The study will be presented at the AAP 2002 National Conference in Boston by Dario Fauza, MD, from the Surgical Research Laboratories at Children's Hospital Boston.

Fauza and his team have shown that primitive cells shed by the fetus or the placenta in early gestation can be isolated from the amniotic fluid and cultured in laboratory media that favor the growth of specific cell types. They also noted that amniotic fluid cells may be uniquely suited for transplantation in other fetuses because they underexpress biologic markers often responsible for immu
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Children's Hospital Boston
18-Oct-2002