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Coronavirus Updates
Normal life looks a lot different these days, especially in healthcare. But there is one thing that hasn’t changed at Children’s Colorado: Your child’s health and safety are our highest priority. Kids need great pediatric care as much now as ever, and it’s for that reason that we’re reactivating services we temporarily suspended due to the pandemic. We are here to deliver safe, thoughtful, high-quality care for kids who need it. Learn what to expect – and all the ways we’re keeping patients safe.
For ongoing updates, a list of open locations and how to get care virtually or in person, please see our coronavirus resources for parents and resources for healthcare professionals. For questions about visiting our locations, such as face covering requirements, inpatient visitation and outpatient appointments, please see our visitation policies.
Contact Us
Free ParentSmart HealthlineTM
Caring pediatric nurses are available 24/7 to help answer your health questions.
720-777-0123Send Postal Mail To:
Children’s Hospital Colorado
Anschutz Medical Campus
13123 East 16th Avenue
Aurora, CO 80045
Emergency and urgent care locations
If you're concerned that you or your child may have been exposed to COVID-19, please do NOT visit an emergency or urgent care location. Instead, call your doctor or our free ParentSmart Healthline at 720-777-0123 for guidance.
In life-threatening emergencies, find the emergency room location nearest you. For non-life-threatening medical needs when your pediatrician is unavailable, visit one of our urgent care locations.
Help me decideUrgent care locations (hours vary)
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Cloaca Diagnosis and Treatment Decisions
Understanding anorectal malformations
Hearing that your baby has an anorectal malformation can be frightening. Anorectal malformations are defects that occur during the fifth to seventh week of fetal development. An anorectal malformation is a condition in which the anus (opening at the end of the large intestine through which stool passes) and the rectum (area of the large intestine just above the anus) do not develop properly.
Learn more about anorectal malformations
Our families discuss their diagnosis
Some women may learn that their baby has an anorectal malformation like cloaca during pregnancy, and some may not find out until after their baby is born. These families share how they found out their baby had cloaca and how they handled the news.
What is cloaca?
Cloaca is a malformation that affects the rectum and urogenital tract in females. Females are normally born with three perineal openings: urethra, vagina and anus. Children born with a cloacal anomaly only have one opening because the urethra, vagina and rectum are joined together as a common channel instead of three separate ones. The length of the common channel may vary between 1 cm and 10 cm.
Short common channel (less than 3 cm in length)
Intermediate common channel (between 3 and 5 cm)
Long common channel (more than 5 cm)
Our surgical expertise
Our surgeons have specialized expertise in treating anorectal malformations, such as cloaca. Our team is led by Alberto Peña, MD, who transformed colorectal treatment by introducing the posterior sagittal anorectoplasty (PSARP), also known as the pull-through, procedure.
What are anorectal malformations?
An anorectal malformation, like cloaca, is a condition that affects a baby’s ability to have a bowel movement. Learn how we treat these conditions in our International Center for Colorectal Care.
600
Number of cloaca surgeries our doctors have performed
74
Number of countries Dr. Peña's patients come from
2,500+
Number of pull-through procedures our doctors have performed
"The important thing was that they diagnosed her and referred us to the right place."Sandy, Tashi's mom
Additional patient resources
Next: Repair and treatment
Our experienced family talks about their daughter's surgeries and how their family has managed through it all.
Read other inspiring stories about patients born with an anorectal malformation and how they persevered.
Our International Center for Colorectal and Urogenital Care is home to world-renowned surgeons, Alberto Peña, MD, and Andrea Bischoff, MD.
We’ve compiled helpful information, videos and links related to complex colorectal conditions and information about our support programs for families.
Partnership with the University of Colorado School of Medicine
Children's Hospital Colorado partners with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where many of our physicians and care providers serve as faculty.