Pediatric Surgery

Pediatric Surgery is the branch dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of surgical diseases of children from any age group from birth to adolescence. While the surgical diseases seen among children are similar to those seen among adults, they differ from adult diseases in the ways the diseases occur, their causes, symptoms, diagnoses, surgical procedures for the diseases, and post-operative care.

Children are not scale-down models of adults. They have their own anatomical, metabolic, and physiological characteristics. Their body tissues are more sensitive than that of adults. Surgical instruments used in pediatric surgeries aren’t the same as those used in adult surgeries. Furthermore, anesthetic procedures for children differ from those for adults. Subsequently, it is appropriate that pediatric surgery is performed by specially trained experienced pediatric surgeons who have received education exclusively about pediatric surgical diseases.

Diseases diagnosed and treated by the Department of Pediatric Surgery:

Congenital anomalies, congenital obstruction of the esophagus, stomach, and small or large intestine; conditions where some part of, or the whole of the intestines or the liver is outside of the abdomen; bladder exstrophy, the fusion of fingers and hands, absence of some fingers, or having more fingers than normal.

Esophageal Atresia: Blocked esophagus. Shortness of breath following birth, foaming at the mouth, vomiting.

Anal Atresia: Congenital imperforate anus, inability to defecate.

Thoracic Surgery: Diseases requiring a surgical intervention of the chest cavity and lungs.

Diaphragmatic Hernia: When the intestines protrude through an opening in the wall which separates the abdomen and the chest.

Gastroesophageal Reflux: A condition in which stomach contents flow backward into the esophagus. Vomiting and wheezing in babies.

Inguinal Hernia: Swelling of the groin area or the scrotum.

Umbilical Hernia: Swelling of the belly button.

Omphalocele and Gastroschisis: Congenital abdominal wall anomalies, intestines outside of the abdomen.

Phimosis: A tightening of the foreskin of the penis requiring circumcision.

Buried Penis: A condition in which the penis is hidden beneath the fat tissue, especially in overweight children.

Undescended Testicle: A condition where one testicle or both testicles do not descend into the scrotum.

Retractile Testicle: The testicle descends into the scrotum but occasionally ascends.

Hydrocele: Fluid-filled cysts in the scrotum or groin, accumulation of fluids around the testicles, widely known as water hernia.

Labial Fusion: A condition seen in girls where the genital area is sealed together.

Testicular Torsion or Orchitis: Painful swelling and redness of the scrotum.

Hypospadias: A condition in which the opening of the urethra is on the underside of the penis, not the tip.

Vesicoureteral Reflux: Backward flow of urine from the bladder up to the kidneys.

Congenital Abnormalities of the Kidney: Kidney outlet obstruction, duplex kidney.

Trauma: Emergency or later intervention in situations       requiring surgical treatment, such as in-car or out-of-vehicle pedestrian traffic accidents, high falls, bumps, stab wounds and gunshot wounds, etc.

Torticollis: Wryneck, recurrent fluid-filled painful or painless swelling in the neck.

Foreign Object Ingestion: Ingestion of a foreign object in the esophagus, stomach, intestines, or trachea.

Urinary and Fecal Incontinence: Inability to urinate or defecate properly, bloody stool.

Constipation: Anal fissures, polyps, hemorrhoids or bleeding.

Appendicitis: All intra-abdominal infections and intestinal obstructions, particularly appendicitis, which can be congenital or acquired, and reveal themselves with symptoms including ongoing or recurrent abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting.

Childhood Tumors: Benign childhood tumors and cancers which may appear as cysts, particularly in organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, adrenal glands, stomach, intestines, and bladder.

Hemangioma: Skin lesions (strawberry angioma vascular tumors)

  Hermaphroditism