Pediatric General Surgery

Our pediatric surgeons at Children’s Hospital Colorado offer leading-edge treatments for babies before they are born, infants, children and teens. Our surgeons are specially trained and experienced in the surgical care of kids.

Patients achieve excellent outcomes from advanced surgical skills

At Children’s Colorado, we want kids to heal quickly. Our pediatric surgeons perform the latest minimally-invasive surgeries including laparoscopy, thoracoscopy and single incision. This approach shortens healing time and lessens the pain and discomfort of surgery for children.

Anesthesiologists specialize in working with kids

Children react differently to anesthesia than adults do, which is why surgeons depend on the abilities of experienced pediatric anesthesiologists. Our pediatric anesthesiologists are specially trained to keep kids safe during surgery. Before surgery, parents can meet the anesthesiologists to ask questions and ease concerns about the process.

Patients receive around-the-clock care after procedures

After surgery at Children’s Colorado, patients receive attentive, 24/7 care from surgeons in the pediatric surgical residency program at the University of Colorado and our award-winning nurses.

Doctors extend care overseas

Multiple members of our staff participate in mission trips around the world. Trips include treating wounded soldiers and children in Afghanistan and visiting impoverished areas of Haiti, Africa and Guatemala.

Why choose Children’s Hospital Colorado for pediatric surgery?

Nationally ranked for pediatric cancer treatment

Children’s Colorado has one of the nation’s biggest and best cancer treatment centers for kids and teens. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Children’s Colorado among the top programs in the country. Here, pediatric surgeons treat liver and kidney tumors, a variety of other solid tumors and provide catheters and ports for cancer patients. Oncologists and surgeons are members of the Children’s Oncology Group.

Advancing the treatment of pediatric liver, gallbladder and bile related disorders

The Pediatric Liver Center is a team of hepatologists (doctors who treat liver, gallbladder and bile disorders), pediatric surgeons and transplant surgeons who treat children with liver disease. The specialists in the Pediatric Liver Center are internationally recognized for contributing to new discoveries in the diagnosis, treatment and surgery of pediatric hepatobiliary (liver, gallbladder and bile related) disorders.

Conditions we treat

We treat a wide range of conditions including:

• Head and neck "lumps and bumps" (dermoid cyst, branchial cleft cyst)
• Congenital lung disorders, including bronchogenic cysts, congenital lobar emphysema, pulmonary sequestration, congenital pulmonary malformation
• Chest wall deformities, including pectus carinatum and pectus excavatum
• Hepatobiliary disease (biliary atresia, choledochal cyst, hepatoblastoma)
• Hematological disorders requiring splenectomy (spherocytosis, ITP, sickle cell anemia)
• Tumors, including hepatoblastoma, Wilms', neuroblastoma
• Gastroesophageal reflux and failure to thrive
• Appendicitis
• Hernias
• Circumcision and undescended testicles

Revolutionizing modern medicine with ground-breaking research

Pediatric surgeons at Children's Colorado continue to advance medicine and participate in several important research areas.

Research achievements

Waveform diagnostics is a quickly growing research area at Children’s Colorado. Researchers are analyzing large volumes of vital sign data. This work developed a mathematical equation that monitors the risk of cardiovascular failure due to internal bleeding or dehydration. This technology will be beneficial during trauma/triage settings.

Ongoing research areas

Additional research areas include fetal gene therapy and wound healing, medical information processing and resuscitation equations, diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary diseases and childhood cancer. Our physicians and staff also contribute to clinical studies in the areas of appendectomies, gastroesophageal reflux, trauma, biliary atresia, kidney transplants and others.