Pediatric surgeon

A doctor who performs surgical treatment of children from birth to 14 years of age is called a pediatric surgeon. His responsibilities include consultations, diagnosis, appointment and performance of surgical intervention, and subsequent monitoring of the rehabilitation process of the operated child.

Who is a pediatric surgeon?

This is, first of all, the highest specialist in his field, because it is necessary to apply surgical intervention to a child very carefully, taking into account the immaturity of the body and its potential growth and constant change. A pediatric surgeon deals not only with the treatment of surgical diseases of children, but also eliminates defects and developmental defects, congenital anomalies.

When should you see a pediatric surgeon?

What symptoms and signs should prompt you to see a pediatric surgeon?

• sharp pain in the abdomen;
• injuries of various nature;
• impairment or limitation of movement of arms or legs;
• ingrown nail;
• inflammatory processes in soft tissues;
• in boys: the presence of an empty scrotum, or a difference in size;
• the appearance of neoplasms;
• symptoms of inguinal or umbilical hernia;
• signs of hydrocele, when one or both halves of the scrotum increase in size;
• signs of balanoposthitis - inflammation of the foreskin due to adhesions (adhesions);
• signs of phimosis – the inability to open the head of the penis;
• phenomena of cryptorchidism (non-descent of the testicle into the scrotum);
• torsion of the testicle or hydatid (fatty suspension of the testicle);
• inflammatory processes in the testicle and epididymis;
• sudden attacks of nausea and vomiting;
• the presence of chronic constipation in a child, accompanied by pain.

If you detect suspicious symptoms in your child, do not delay visiting a doctor. Sometimes a timely consultation can allow you to cure the disease without resorting to surgery.

What tests should be taken when visiting a pediatric surgeon?

If you are taking your child for a consultation, you do not need to take any tests beforehand. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe a number of tests and write out directions.

If your baby is being prepared for surgery, there is a standard list of necessary tests, which may be supplemented by the attending pediatric surgeon depending on the reason for the surgical intervention. The standard list of tests includes:

• conducting a general blood and urine test;
• blood donation for HIV infection;
• blood for the Wasserman reaction;
• blood for hepatitis B and C;
• electrocardiography;
• consultation with a cardiologist and pediatrician.

A complete list of required tests should be obtained from your doctor.

What diagnostic methods does a pediatric surgeon use?

Modern diagnostic procedures used by pediatric surgeons are usually based on various methods of visual examination of internal organs. Such procedures include:

• echoscanning procedures (ultrasound diagnostics), which allow you to obtain an image of the required internal organ. Ultrasound exposure does not cause any harm to the human body, which is especially important when performing the procedure on children. During the examination, the baby can lie on the couch or stand, while the doctor runs the sensor over the surface of the skin, recording the obtained data in the form of a conclusion and a printout;
• Doppler method (most often used to study renal vessels in vegetative dystonia);
• radiography method (sometimes used along with the introduction of a contrast agent);
• angiography method (used more often from the age of 3 to clarify the localization of the process, to diagnose vascular lesions of the brain - anomalies, angiomas, aneurysms);
• endoscopy procedure – used to remove foreign bodies, in the development of internal bleeding, in inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx, and digestive tract organs;
• computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

What does a pediatric surgeon do?

First of all, the competence of a pediatric surgeon includes defective processes that are discovered during the period of growth and formation of a child’s body and cannot be corrected using conservative methods.

The pediatric surgeon examines the child, establishes a preliminary diagnosis, issues a referral for a number of additional tests to confirm the diagnosis, and prescribes certain treatment measures, including the method and plan for the operation.

Immediately after birth, the baby is examined by a neonatologist. Such a doctor can detect visible malformations of organs and other defects in the newborn, after which he refers the baby to a pediatric surgeon, who decides on the need for surgery. Regular examinations of the child by a pediatric surgeon should be carried out at three and six months of age, as well as when the child turns one year old. Such scheduled visits are necessary in order to detect defects such as umbilical and inguinal hernias, balanoposthitis, cryptorchidism, hydrocele, and underdevelopment of the hip joint in time.

What diseases does a pediatric surgeon treat?

A pediatric surgeon can provide emergency care in the treatment of diseases and traumatic complications that threaten the health and life of a child. In such situations, emergency surgeries are performed:

• for opening abscesses;
• regarding strangulated hernia;
• to eliminate complications after injuries;
• in acute appendicitis, intestinal adhesions, development of peritonitis;
• regarding the removal of a foreign object;
• in case of significant bleeding;
• in the presence of a purulent inflammatory process, etc.

In addition to emergency cases, the pediatric surgeon also carries out planned treatment of diseases:

• renal agenesis;
• anomalies in the development of the biliary system;
• anomalies in liver formation;
• anorectal defects in children;
• atresia and achalasia of the esophagus;
• destructive phenomena in the lungs;
• bronchiectasis in children;
• varicocele, hydrocele;
• chest deformities;
• congenital intestinal obstruction;
• congenital tracheoesophageal fistulas;
• defects of the anterior abdominal wall;
• angiomas and hemangiomas;
• pyloric stenosis;
• pulmonary hypoplasia;
• diaphragmatic hernias;
• intestinal intussusceptions;
• removal of a foreign body from the esophagus or respiratory system;
• cryptorchidism;
• mastitis in newborns;
• mediastinitis;
• lymphangiomas;
• nephroblastoma;
• obstructive intestinal obstruction;
• omphalitis;
• complications of acute appendicitis;
• paraproctitis;
• paraphimosis;
• inguinal hernias;
• umbilical hernias;
• pyelonephritis;
• burns and cicatricial changes in the esophagus;
• pulmonary sequestration;
• teratomas;
• childhood trauma;
• childhood osteomyelitis;
• dystopia and ectopia of the testicle, etc.

Pediatric surgery also includes extracorporeal blood purification using special sorbents and transplantation of vital organs.

A pediatric surgeon, just like an adult, can have a narrower specialization - this is an abdominal pediatric surgeon, a cardiovascular surgeon, a thoracic surgeon, as well as a traumatologist, neurosurgeon, urologist, orthopedist and many other specialties.

Advice from a pediatric surgeon

First of all, the pediatric surgeon recommends that parents observe their child in order to promptly notice changes in his behavior associated with poor health, pain, and organ dysfunction.

For example, tummy pain may indicate the onset of some disease: appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, etc. If the tummy hurts, but the baby's general condition is normal, make an appointment with a pediatric surgeon. If the temperature rises, the child feels sick, suddenly turns pale, becomes lethargic - call an ambulance immediately.

Attacks of nausea and vomiting should be especially alarming if they are not limited to a single case, vomiting does not bring relief to the baby, and the vomit contains visible particles of bile, pus or blood. Remember that abdominal pain combined with vomiting attacks may indicate the development of intestinal obstruction. This situation requires urgent hospitalization of the baby in the nearest surgical department. Bloody vomiting most often indicates esophageal and gastric vasodilation syndrome. While you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive, sit the child down, placing a large pillow under his head. It is strictly forbidden to lay a child suffering from vomiting on his back: this can contribute to the ingress of vomit into the respiratory tract. It is also recommended to apply ice wrapped in a towel to the stomach, above the umbilical area.

Frequent and prolonged absence of bowel movements in a child may also indicate the presence of some pathology. In such a situation, additional consultation with a pediatrician, a gastroenterologist, and a pediatric surgeon is required.

If you notice swelling or redness of your child’s extremities, whether or not related to trauma, in any case, go to a pediatric surgeon.

Children under 3 years of age require special attention: a child at this age is not yet able to explain what is bothering him. In small children, pain manifests itself as irritability, tearfulness, in addition, the child may have a fever and general signs of intoxication of the body.

Almost every newborn baby experiences swelling of the mammary glands during the first days of life. This is due to the penetration of female hormones into the baby's bloodstream, which can occur during lactation. During this period, it is necessary to carefully observe the hygiene of the baby's mammary glands in order to prevent the development of purulent mastitis.

After the birth of the child, it is necessary to examine it for pigment spots on the skin. Considering that such spots are considered dangerous in terms of the possibility of malignancy of the process, it is better to remove them. Sometimes skin transplantation methods are used for these purposes.

Often, when examining a child, they ignore the examination for cryptorchidism (when the testicles do not descend into the scrotum). Ask the pediatric surgeon to pay attention to this: this pathology, detected after the first year of life, can negatively affect the ability to conceive in the future.

Do not be afraid to bring your child to a surgeon for consultation. A visit to this specialist does not mean that the child will have to undergo any surgery. A pediatric surgeon is competent in the treatment of various surgical diseases and conservatively, if possible, and surgery is only an extreme and strictly justified measure.

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