Pediatric Surgery

Pediatric Surgery Department – Diagnosis, Treatment, and Surgical Processes

The Pediatric Surgery Department is a discipline that deals with the diagnosis and surgical treatment of conditions affecting newborns, children, and adolescents. Pediatric surgery covers a wide range of congenital and acquired conditions, from the abdomen and chest to urology, malformations, traumatology, and pediatric oncology. This field performs surgical treatments for infant, child, and adolescent patients using minimally invasive methods and plays an important role in modern pediatric surgery operations.

Daviva Health Group Pediatric Surgery Department provides comprehensive healthcare services with experienced specialists, modern surgical technologies, and a multidisciplinary treatment approach.

What is pediatric surgery? Which diseases does it treat? Learn about neonatal surgery, pediatric urology, and laparoscopic operations.

What Is Pediatric Surgery?

The Pediatric Surgery Department, provides diagnosis and treatment for congenital or acquired conditions in infants, children, and adolescents aged 0–18, including emergencies. In this scope, both elective surgeries and pediatric surgery emergency interventions are performed. This unit adopts a special approach by taking into account children’s age-specific anatomical and physiological characteristics.

Pediatric surgery is not limited to treating pathologies; it also focuses on minimizing physical and psychological trauma by considering the impact of invasive procedures on a child’s development. This approach is supported by child-friendly surgical practices and safe surgical processes.

Which Diseases Does Pediatric Surgery Treat?

Pediatric surgery, is an extremely broad specialty and requires versatile surgical skills. This is because a pediatric surgeon, can treat a wide variety of conditions such as congenital anomalies, hernias, childhood tumors, digestive system diseases, and developmental disorders.

Neonatal Surgery

Neonatal surgery covers the surgical treatment of diseases seen in premature and newborn babies. Most of these operations are performed using minimally invasive surgical methods.

The main neonatal surgery conditions are:

Choledochal cyst: An abnormal enlargement occurring in the bile duct

Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CPAM): Abnormal development of lung tissue

Diaphragmatic hernia

Duodenal obstruction (duodenal atresia)

Esophageal atresia

Gastroschisis

Congenital absence of the anus (anorectal malformation)

Intestinal atresia (intestinal obstruction)

Omphalocele

Pulmonary sequestration

Pyloric stenosis

Tracheoesophageal fistula

Pediatric Urology Surgery

Pediatric urologic surgery, covers the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the urogenital system in children.

Common conditions:

Undescended testis (cryptorchidism)

Hypospadias

Vesicoureteral reflux (urinary reflux)

Varicocele

Testicular torsion

Circumcision

Congenital or acquired urethral strictures

Pediatric Thoracic Surgery

Pediatric thoracic surgery covers the surgical treatment of diseases of the chest wall, lungs, and airways.

Main conditions:

Congenital pulmonary malformations (CPAM, pulmonary sequestration, bronchogenic cyst, lobar emphysema)

Pneumothorax

Pleural empyema

Tracheal stenosis

Tracheomalacia

Laryngotracheal cleft

Subglottic stenosis

Tracheobronchial tumors

Bronchiectasis

Chest wall deformities

• Pectus excavatum (funnel chest)
• Pectus carinatum (pigeon chest)
• Poland syndrome
• Sternal cleft

Pediatric Oncology Surgery

Pediatric oncology surgery, covers the surgical treatment of benign and malignant tumors in children. Malignant tumors include conditions such as neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma, hepatoblastoma, sarcomas, leukemia, lymphomas, and brain tumors. This process is planned with a multidisciplinary pediatric oncology and pediatric surgery approach.

Digestive System Surgery

Pediatric digestive system surgery, covers the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the gastrointestinal system.

Main conditions:

Appendicitis

Gallbladder diseases

Gastrointestinal birth defects

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Gastrointestinal bleeding

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis

Anal abscess and anal fistula

Splenic rupture

Anorectal malformations

Pilonidal sinus

In general, the pediatric surgery department, is a comprehensive specialty that undertakes the diagnosis and surgical treatment of many conditions from newborn period to adolescence.

How Does the Surgical Process Progress in Children?

Many pediatric surgery operations performed in infants and children are now carried out using minimally invasive surgery (small-incision surgery). In this method, the operation is performed through small incisions with the help of special instruments. Thanks to the small incisions, the risk of bleeding, infection, and surgical scarring is lower.

Laparoscopy: A closed surgical method used in operations involving the abdomen and groin.

Thoracoscopy: A closed surgical method preferred in operations involving the chest cavity.

Advanced Techniques: Laser etc.

These methods provide advantages especially in children in terms of closed surgery, scarless surgery techniques, and a faster recovery process.

Preoperative Process

If general anesthesia is to be used, the anesthesiologist is consulted at least 48 hours before the operation. This consultation is important in terms of the anesthesia process in children.

The anesthesiologist determines the preoperative fasting period (the period of not eating or drinking). The preoperative fasting period is a rule that must be followed for safe anesthesia.

Surgery Day and Hospital Stay

Depending on the type of surgery and the child’s age, the procedure may sometimes be performed as day surgery for children. In this case, the child is kept under observation for a few hours and discharged the same day. Even after an operation initially planned as day surgery, hospitalization may be recommended depending on the child’s condition.

Postoperative Process

After the surgery is completed, the child is monitored in the recovery room until the effects of anesthesia have completely worn off. This process is critically important for postoperative care in children.

During this process, the healthcare team regularly checks vital signs such as breathing, pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen level. The purpose of all these steps is to ensure a safe, comfortable, and healthy pediatric surgical experience.

What Are the Diagnostic Methods in Pediatric Surgery?

In the Pediatric Surgery department, diagnostic methods are applied in a planned way for accurate and early diagnosis. For children, everything starts with a clinical examination and, if necessary, is supported by tests (blood, urine, stool) and medical imaging methods (for example, X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI). This process is especially important for proper treatment planning in children.

Primary diagnostic tests may include:

Basic blood tests (blood tests in children)

Abdominal, pelvic, or testicular ultrasound (ultrasound in children)

Chest or abdominal X-ray

Urinalysis

Urine culture

These tests are among the basic diagnostic methods frequently used in the initial evaluation of pediatric surgery conditions.

Depending on the suspected pathology, secondary tests may include:

Computed Tomography (CT) scan

Magnetic Resonance (MRI) imaging

Voiding cystography

Renal scintigraphy

Endoscopy

Colonoscopy

Anorectal manometry

Tissue biopsy

Genetic testing

These advanced tests are used for detailed diagnosis and treatment planning. After the evaluation, the pediatric surgeon discusses the diagnostic findings and possible pediatric surgery treatment options with the parents and answers their questions. If necessary, they may request additional tests or plan pediatric surgery. The goal is to determine the correct diagnosis, ensure safe treatment, and identify the most appropriate surgical approach for the child.

Which Age Group Does Pediatric Surgery Cover?

The age range of pediatric surgery; covers the neonatal period, which includes premature and newborn babies, as well as infancy and the preschool years, school-age children, and adolescents. Within this scope, neonatal surgery, surgical treatment in infants, surgical intervention in children, and adolescent surgery practices fall under the field of pediatric surgery. In other words, surgical treatments for diseases of infants, children, and adolescents aged 0–18 are carried out by this specialty.

What Does a Pediatric Surgeon Do?

A pediatric surgery specialist, is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, and preoperative and postoperative management of many conditions affecting infants and children. The most defining feature of pediatric surgeons is that they adopt a child-centered surgical approach focused on the child’s growth and development. By working closely with other medical specialties, this specialist aims to provide the best possible care for pediatric patients through a multidisciplinary pediatric surgery approach.

If you have questions about your child’s health, you can contact our expert pediatric surgery team to get detailed information and an appointment.

The initial evaluation should usually be performed by a specialist in pediatrics, and when necessary, the child should be referred to a pediatric surgery specialist.

Pediatric surgery may be consulted for the prevention, diagnosis, surgical and conservative treatment, postoperative care, and rehabilitation of malformations, including developmental disorders in childhood, diseases, infections, organ tumors, injuries, burns, and their consequences.