Minimally invasive surgery is a surgery minimizing surgical incisions to reduce trauma to the body. This type of surgery is usually performed using thin-needles and an endoscope to visually guide the surgery.
The goal of minimally invasive surgery is to reduce postoperative pain and blood loss, speed recovery, and lessen scarring. For example, several minimally invasive spine fusion surgery devices have been designed with the goal of allowing placement of pedicle screws and rods into the spine using several smaller incisions rather than the one longer incision used in open spinal fusion surgery. The theory is that the screws and rods are placed into the spine with minimal trauma to the muscle and tendons in the back.
