Jayden Cambridge, 18 months, poses for a photo with his mother, Tanya Comeau, after his surgery. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)A tumour was removed from a Montreal toddler's face using a surgical procedure that won't leave an unsightly scar — an achievement believed to be a Canadian medical first.

Doctors say the burgeoning endoscopic technique, commonly used on adults for cosmetic reasons, was performed on the cherub-cheeked Montreal baby last week, and could drastically change the way tumours are removed.

Doctors and surgeons at Montreal Children's Hospital said 18-month-old Jayden Cambridge had a blueberry-sized tumour removed with excellent results.

Dr. Sherif Emil, director of pediatric general surgery at the hospital, proposed the procedure for Jayden to avoid the prospect of a 2.54-centimetre-long scar across his forehead and deep discolouration in his cinnamon skin.

"In the back of my mind, it was a procedure looking for a patient," said Emil, who had seen the endoscopic technique performed in the United States.

"In this child, there was no way to make an incision that would not be obvious, so he was the perfect candidate for it."

Delicate procedure starts at the hairline

Emil found that Jayden had a congenital tumour believed to be a dermoid cyst – a benign tumour that has to be removed because of the risk of rupture as the child grows older.

Surgeons entered through the baby's scalp, just above his hairline, to fell the tumour in the middle of his forehead.

The tumour proved difficult to find as doctors began probing with the camera. It had become encased in bone. But once found, it was plucked out easily.

Emil said that, until now, most surgeons would have achieved the feat by cutting through the skin and muscle above the tumour. Jayden's surgery proves there are better options, he said.

"I didn't want to take a chance Jayden would go through the rest of his life with a mark on his face," Emil said.

Patient goes home an hour after procedure

Dr. Nabil Fanous, a plastic surgeon and associate professor of facial plastic surgery and head and neck surgery at McGill University and the University of Sherbrooke, said the procedure is fairly common on adults, but not for tumour removal.

"I do endoscopy surgeries on adults all the time – mainly for forehead lifts," said Fanous in a telephone interview.

"But the technique itself – whether it's on an adult or children – is a simple technique as long as the surgeon knows the inside anatomy of the face, which is basically a forest of nerves, muscles of expression and vessels."

As long as you know where to go, you're very safe, Fanous said.

"I think any kid coming now will have this procedure and once doctors have seen it once, twice, three times, it'll become a common procedure," Fanous said.

Jayden was discharged about an hour after surgery with a tiny incision hidden in his hairline and his shock of black, puffy hair.

Apart from stories Jayden will hear about the surgery once he gets older, there will be no lasting effect, his father said.

"A few hours after getting home, he was already singing and dancing with us," said Ron Cambridge.

"We do hope this will help other children that have a similar condition and leave them an option not to leave an unsightly scar."