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Surgical Technology

Tidwell Procedure Center at CHOC Children’s Hospital

The Tidwell Procedure Center at CHOC Hospital in Orange features some of the most advanced imaging, communication and robotics technologies available. Our state-of-the-art surgery and procedure rooms are designed to provide patients with the very best in safety, precision and efficiency.

We are proud to offer:

  • Fully-integrated operating rooms that allow our surgeons full, wireless control of cameras and lights and the ability to view all of the room’s monitors and camera images, patient records and imaging reports on large, flat-screen displays as needed throughout the procedure. The system also allows our surgeons to consult with other surgeons in other operating rooms and our hospital pathologists in real-time using video conferencing to discuss the surgery as it is happening.
  • The very latest in robotic surgery using the daVinci Si Firefly System. This state-of-the-art equipment allows our surgeons to perform complex, invasive surgeries using specialized techniques and very small, specialized tools that have been proven to result in a shorter hospital stay, less blood loss and pain, faster recovery and smaller incisions. Learn more about robotic surgery at CHOC.
  • The O-arm Intraoperative Imaging System. This special technology provides surgeons fast access to real-time, 3D and 2D images inside a patient’s body during spinal, orthopaedic and pelvic trauma cases. It is also used before, during and after surgery to evaluate the patient’s treatment and outcomes.
  • The EVIS Exera III advanced high-definition video information system used for gastrointestional endoscopy, as well as bronchoscopy. CHOC is the first children’s hospital in the United States and the first hospital in Orange County to have this exceptional video information system that helps physicians more easily guide and place intubation tubes in young patients’ throats.
  • A variety of special equipment that assists ear, nose and throat specialists provide the highest-quality diagnoses and treatments. Among this special technology is Celon, a radio-frequency device that allows doctors to perform minimally invasive outpatient procedures.
  • The only FDA-approved device for photo documentation of pediatric eye diseases, RetCam. This special digital imaging system helps screen for many conditions, including retinopathy of prematurity (a condition that can cause blindness), glaucoma and other pathologies. The system provides high-resolution digital pictures of the retina that can be compared from one exam to the next to help track the health of a child’s eyes over time.

For more information on the surgical specialties at CHOC or to find out more about our world-class technologies, please call (888) 770-CHOC.

In the operating rooms at CHOC, our surgeons use the very latest technology to ensure the best for young patients.

Using the technology integration system iSuite by Stryker, CHOC is the first children’s hospital in the region to have a fully integrated operating room. Learn more in this blog post.


Minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic surgery, refers to any surgical technique that does not require a large incision. Learn more about our minimally invasive techniques for kids.


CHOC was the first pediatric hospital in California to offer robotic surgery for children. Learn more about our robotic techniques.