Procedures and treatments

This page explains about the Berlin Heart Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) which can be used to support children in severe heart failure, either until recovery or until a heart transplant is possible.

This page explains about what happens when your child has an MRI scan without sedation or general anaesthetic and what to expect when your child comes to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to have this procedure.

Keyhole or minimally invasive surgery is a method of carrying out an operation without having to make a large incision. It is also known as laparoscopic surgery when used to operate on the abdomen and thoracoscopic surgery when used on the chest area.

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan uses a magnetic field rather than x-rays to take pictures of your child’s body. The MRI scanner is a hollow machine with a tube running horizontally through its middle.