Minimally invasive surgery allows your surgeon to use techniques that limit the size and number of cuts, or incisions, that they need to make. It’s typically considered safer than open surgery. You’ll usually recover more quickly, spend less time in the hospital, and feel more comfortable while you heal.

In traditional open surgery, your surgeon makes one large cut to see the part of your body that they’re operating on. In minimally invasive surgery, your surgeon uses small tools, cameras, and lights that fit through several tiny cuts in your skin. This allows your surgeon to perform surgery without opening a lot of skin and muscle.