Gastroenterology Surgery
Children may require surgery for a wide array of digestive conditions, malformations, and disorders, — ranging from appendicitis to tumors and more complex problems of the esophagus, liver, pancreas, stomach, and intestines. The Division of Pediatric Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital is a major referral center for complex and rare digestive disorders in infants, children, and adolescents, offering a full range of general and specialized surgical services.
The Division of Pediatric Surgery combines the skills and experience of specialists from all clinical disciplines. Our programs for children integrate the expertise of pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric radiologists, pediatric gastroenterologists, neonatologists, perinatologists, and other surgical subspecialists to provide comprehensive care for young patients with complex and challenging problems.
We take particular pride in combining our pediatric surgical expertise with compassion. We strive to make every child's and family's visit as easy and comfortable as possible.
Digestive Surgery in Newborns
The Division of Pediatric Surgery works collaboratively with the Perinatal Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, providing the opportunity to counsel and plan surgery to correct neonatal (newborn) congenital abnormalities. Our team works closely with neonatologists in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and with critical care specialists in the Peter and Mary Kalikow Pediatric Critical Care Center.
The team has successfully performed surgical procedures in infants with the following digestive abnormalities:
- Esophageal atresia in newborns
- Tracheoesophageal fistula
- Intestinal atresias
- Hirschsprung's disease
- Choledochal cysts
- Necrotizing enterocolitis
- Biliary atresia
- Imperforate anus
The Division's esophageal atresia registry is one of the busiest in New York State, with over 250 patients actively being followed.
Surgery to Correct Anorectal Malformations
The Division of Pediatric Surgery has particular expertise in the correction of complex anorectal malformations. Our surgeons perform the "posterior sagittal anorectoplasty" procedure for imperforate anus and for the primary repair of persistent cloacas, reoperation of cloacal primary pull-through, and transanal pull-through for Hirschsprung's disease — eliminating the need for temporary diverting colostomies.
Surgery for Pediatric Digestive Cancers
Our pediatric surgery team treats children with a variety of gastrointestinal cancers and hepatic and biliary cancers. Advances in diagnostics and treatments have dramatically improved the outlook for infants, children, and adolescents with cancer.
Focus on Minimally Invasive Techniques
Our team takes a minimally invasive approach to surgery whenever possible, with an emphasis on pioneering "single incision pediatric endosurgery" (SIPES). This procedure enables our surgeons to offer patients virtually scarless surgery. Our surgical team is also skilled in laparoscopic techniques for complex gastrointestinal, esophageal, and hepatobiliary conditions in newborns and children, with the ability to perform essentially scarless surgery.
Avoiding the larger incisions used in traditional surgery results in shorter hospitalizations, less scarring, reduced pain after surgery, and a faster return to normal activities.
Clinical Research
Our team of pediatric surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell is also conducting clinical research to advance the field. For example, we have studied risk factors associated with the development of pan-necrosis in necrotizing enterocolitis in newborns.