Surgical Services
Our Surgical Services team takes a comprehensive approach to care across many specialties.
In addition to complex fetal and neonatal conditions, we treat children, adolescents and young adults for conditions in most any area of the body. Surgeons work within pediatric general surgery and other specialties, including multispecialty clinics, to diagnose and treat the following and many other conditions:
Abdominal
We treat a wide array of conditions affecting the stomach and abdomen, including chronic or severe pain, appendicitis, hernias and other abdominal diseases, injuries and trauma.
- Appendicitis
- Cysts and masses, including abdominal, ovarian and splenic cysts, lipomas (fat-containing mass), lymphangioma (fluid-filled bump) and others
- Hernias, including epigastric (bulge in upper abdominal wall), hiatal hernia (upper stomach bulges through diaphragm opening) and inguinal hernia
- Intestinal defects, including abnormally positioned internal organs and bowel defects, as well as obstructions such as intussusception (bowel obstruction), intestinal malrotation and pyloric stenosis (narrowed opening from stomach to small intestine)
- Liver defects and disorders, including biliary atresia and choledochal cyst (bile duct disorder)
- Necrotizing enterocolitis: Inflammation in the colon
Bone and Orthopedics
Our orthopedic surgeons treat back and neck pain, broken bones and other injuries affecting bones, joints, muscles, tendons, connective tissues and nerves.
- Bone abnormalities, including bowlegs, tibial torsion, flat feet and other malformations
- Bone, muscle and joint conditions
- Bruises, sprains, fractures, dislocations and sports-related injuries
- Hand fractures, hand and wrist disorders
- Osteogenesis imperfecta
- Skeletal and dysplasia disorders
Brain, Nerve and Spinal
Neurosurgery specialists treat conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord and nerves such as stroke, traumatic brain or spine injuries and nerve disorders.
- Brachial plexus and peripheral nerve disorders
- Brain injuries, and congenital brain and spine abnormalities
- Chiari malformations
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Spinal disorders, including fractures, disc degeneration, scoliosis, congenital curvatures, stenosis and other spine and neuromuscular defects
- Stroke
Cancer and Tumors
Our cancer specialists and multispecialty teams offer surgical treatment for a wide range of cancers, including biopsies and removal of benign and cancerous tumors in any part of the body, including eye cancer and skin cancer. We treat tumors in most any part of the body and offer reconstructive surgery after certain tumor-removal procedures. Conditions treated include head, face and neck cancers, breast cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer and other types of cancer.
- Brain, head and neck cancer
- Hepatoblastoma: A very rare cancer that starts in the liver
- Lipoblastoma: A noncancerous fatty tissue tumor
- Neuroblastoma: A cancer that starts when immature nerve cells in the nervous system grow out of control
- Osteosarcoma: A cancer that starts in the bone
- Pancreatic tumors, including pancreatic islet cell tumor (a rare hormone-producing tumor of the pancreas)
- Teratomas: Tumors made up of different types of tissues, including sacrococcygeal (rare tumor on coccyx or tailbone) and ovarian teratomas
- Vascular malformations and hemangiomas
- Wilms tumor: A cancerous tumor that starts in the cells of the kidney
Chest, Heart, Blood Vessel and Respiratory
Multispecialty teams treat a wide range of conditions such as structural chest and chest wall defects, heart and blood vessel disorders, airway malformations and other congenital and acquired conditions.
- Achalasia
- Chest wall defects, including pectus carinatum (chest pushed outward) and pectus excavatum (sunken chest)
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)
- Congenital heart disease
- Congenital pulmonary airway malformation and other lung conditions
- Gynecomastia: Excess breast tissue in males
- Myasthenia gravis
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA): Heart defect affecting blood flow through the lungs
- Phrenic nerve injury or weakness: Nerve affecting breathing and respiration
- Pulmonary sequestration: Mass of lung tissue with no function
- Slipping rib syndrome
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)
ENT (otolaryngology) specialists treat a wide variety of conditions including airway obstructions, tonsillitis, ear infections and other ear, nose and throat disorders.
- Airway obstructions, diseases and disorders
- Ear infections (ear tubes)
- Feeding and swallowing disorders
- Tonsillitis
- Other ear, nose and throat conditions
Eye and Vision
Ophthalmology surgeons treat pediatric cataracts, blocked tear ducts, amblyopia (lazy eye), and other eye and vision conditions.
Gastrointestinal (GI)
We treat all GI conditions which affect the esophagus, stomach and intestines. These include swallowing, eating and breathing disorders, peptic ulcers, Celiac disease, irritable bowel disease and other intestinal disorders.
- Achalasia
- Esophageal achalasia, esophageal atresia and esophageal stricture (narrowing or tightening)
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Tracheoesophageal (TE) fistula
- Tracheal stenosis: Trachea narrowed by inflammation or scar tissue
Genitourinary
Specialists treat many genitourinary conditions including bladder and urinary tract obstructions, ovarian and vaginal disorders, testicular problems and other diseases and disorders.
- Bladder or lower urinary tract obstruction, and urachal disorders (canal from the top of the bladder to the belly button)
- Hernias:
- Inguinal hernia and hydroceles (fluid-filled scrotum)
- Umbilical hernia
- Ovarian cysts and tumors
- Reproductive anomalies and differences of sex development, including:
- Twisted or undeveloped ovaries
- Persistent urogenital sinus (vaginal and urinary tracts don’t separate)
- Testicular torsion in newborns
- Undescended testes and teratoma (tumor with several types of tissue) in undescended testes
- Vaginal agenesis (reproductive tract malformation) or obstructed outflow
Head, Neck and Face
Our multispecialty teams treat a wide array of conditions affecting the head, neck and face, including cleft and craniofacial disorders, head and neck masses, birthmarks and deformities of the face, hands and skin.
- Birthmarks and deformities of the face, hands and skin
- Cleft and craniofacial disorders, including cleft lip, cleft palate, craniosynostosis and other head and face conditions
- Head and neck masses
- Lymphatic malformations, enlarged lymph nodes and other lymphatic disorders
- Thyroid or parathyroid disease, including hypoparathyroidism and hyperparathyroidism
Heart
Our specialized pediatric cardiology teams treat complex heart and blood vessel disease, structural defects, heart failure and other heart conditions.
Kidney and Liver
We offer surgical care for conditions affecting the kidneys and liver. Specialists treat liver disease, liver failure, kidney stones and other renal (kidney) disorders and diseases, including end-stage renal disease.
- Kidney failure
- Kidney stones
- Liver disease and liver failure
- Renal diseases and disorders, including end-stage kidney disease
- Polycystic kidney disease
Skin Lesions
Our specialized team cares and treats a variety of skin lesions.
- Birthmarks: Large nevi
- Ear tags: Noncancerous growths
- Melanoma and other skin cancers
- Noncancerous skin growths
Trauma
Our specialized surgeons treat trauma of the head, brain, spine and body, complex hand injuries, eye trauma and multiple traumatic injuries. Conditions treated include blunt-force and penetrating trauma to the liver, spleen, kidneys and other parts of the body.
- Blunt liver and spleen injury: Blunt (non-penetrating) force is a common cause of injury to the liver and spleen – a small organ beneath the left ribcage. Common causes include car or bike crashes, falls and any type of hard hit to the abdomen.
- Bronchial trauma: Injuries such as a blow to the chest sometimes affect the bronchia (airway tubes). Prompt diagnosis and treatment can help prevent potentially life-threatening breathing problems.
- Kidney (renal) injury: The most common cause of kidney injury in children is blunt-force physical trauma to the ribcage area or sides of the abdomen. Treatments may include minimally invasive procedures to stop bleeding or open surgery.
- Pancreatic injury: Blows to the upper abdomen can cause pancreatic and biliary system (liver, gallbladder and pancreas) injuries. We use specialized diagnostic techniques for improved accuracy and treatment options.
- Small bowel injury: Causes of small bowel trauma include penetrating forces such as BB guns or sharp objects that can pierce a child’s abdomen and injure the intestine. Our gastrointestinal surgeons and other specialists treat all types of intestinal trauma.