Precision

For children needing a new liver or kidney, the greatest hurdle is often finding a healthy organ. While the organs of deceased donors are extremely limited, living donors can offer pediatric patients a chance at life. Lurie Children’s Living Donor Transplant Program is the largest in the region thanks to a partnership with Northwestern Medicine. In this episode, Dr. Juan Caicedo and Dr. Satish Nadig, who lead the program, offer insight into this decades-long collaboration that has resulted in more than 1,700 solid organ transplants since its inception and offers organ donors and recipients the best and most comprehensive care possible.

The Lurie Children's Microtia and Aural Atresia Program is dedicated to improving hearing, communication and cosmetic outcomes for children born with microtia, a congenital birth defect affecting the ear's form and function. Leading this multidisciplinary initiative are co-directors Stephen Hoff, MD, and Akira Yamada, MD, PhD. On this episode, they discuss both the aural and reconstructive aspects of microtia treatment, as well as the program’s team of experts offering families the most innovative therapeutic and surgical options all in one place.

Since the early 1990s, under the direction of Nancy Young, MD, FACS, FAAP, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's of Chicago Cochlear Implant Program has provided cochlear implants to thousands of children with hearing loss, improving their hearing and quality of life. Now, new cochlear implant research at Lurie Children's led by Dr. Young is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to help identify which children may benefit from more intensive therapy after their implant surgery. Dr. Young explains this research and how it could improve the lives of children beyond those with hearing loss.

The use of robotic technology in pediatric head and neck surgery is still in its infancy, but Dr. Douglas Johnston is leading progress in this field through Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago’s Comprehensive Pediatric Robotic Surgery Program. He is one of the few pediatric head and neck surgeons worldwide skilled at performing transoral robotic surgery on children. Dr. Johnston joins the show to explain the variety of head and neck pathologies where robotic technology at Lurie Children's can provide safe and effective surgical alternatives for patients.

The division of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, cares for more than 49,000 patients with bone, joint, muscle ligament, and nerve disorders every year. In this episode, you will hear from three pediatric orthopedic specialists at Lurie Children's, Drs. Cynthia LaBella, Neeraj Patel, and Jill Larson, who are spearheading research to uncover and address inequities, improve treatment options and offer better access to care for all children who need it.

A cutting edge robotic surgery program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is helping surgeons perform intricate operations on children as young as two weeks old with unparalleled precision and control. Lurie Children's is one of the few free-standing pediatric hospitals in the world to offer this type of minimally invasive surgical option for children. In this episode, two Lurie Children’s surgeons detail how robotic surgery is a gamechanger for the field of surgery and young patients. Timothy Lautz, MD, is an expert in pediatric general surgery and surgical oncology and Bruce Lindgren, MD, is a renowned specialist in pediatric urology.

In this episode, Dr. Thomas Inge discusses his journey as a pioneer of pediatric bariatric surgery, which includes a more than 20-year commitment to providing surgical care for severely obese teenagers. He explains his long-term research project that has shown how bariatric surgery can improve the quality of life for young patients. He also details his vision of the department of surgery which is aligned with the hospital’s commitment to CARE: Clinical Excellence, Advocacy, Research and Education.

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University are leading an innovative study to evaluate ways to improve recovery and outcomes in children undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgeries. Such protocols have been found to decrease hospital length of stay and lower costs and complications among adult surgical populations. But evidence for pediatric populations is lacking. This episode features Mehul Raval, MD, MS, FAAP, FACS, a pediatric surgeon and the principal investigator on a $3.5 million National Institutes of Health-funded ENRICH-US study (Enhanced Recovery In Children Undergoing Surgery). The study includes 18 U.S. pediatric hospitals around the country. Dr. Raval is an expert in general pediatrics surgery and surgical oncology at Lurie Children's and discusses the study as well as some of its preliminary findings.

Advances in fetal imaging, genetic diagnosis and other innovations have made it possible to screen for congenital abnormalities early on in pregnancies. Such advances provide opportunities for specialists at The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago to treat and sometimes cure a condition before birth. The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health performs more than 3,500 consultations each year on a wide range of fetal conditions. In this episode, Aimen Shaaban, MD, a fetal surgeon and director of The Chicago Institute talks about the breadth of services available, from pre-birth counseling to complex fetal surgeries.

Surgical innovations are changing the field of neurosurgery and improving the lives of children with conditions such as epilepsy at Lurie Children's. Sandi Lam, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, is a leading specialist in the areas of minimally invasive epilepsy surgery and neurovascular surgery, and is known for discovering curative treatments for life-threatening neurological disorders. In this episode, she shares her expertise in minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques and how her research is transforming pediatric epilepsy care.

It's estimated that nearly 4 million surgeries are performed on children each year in the U.S. But no matter how complex or routine these surgical procedures may seem, none are simple, and the skill of a surgeon is always a key component of its success. On this episode of Precision, Earl Chang, MD, explains the benefits of seeking out highly trained pediatric surgeons and specialized providers, like those at Lurie Children's.

Take a look inside the operating room at one of the nation's premier children's hospitals. Lurie Children's pediatric surgeons discuss in detail some of the life-saving procedures they perform, how their research is advancing pediatric medicine, and what drives them to be the best.

More than ever before, children treated for serious illnesses are living well into adulthood. This happy statistic means there is increased awareness of long-term quality of life concerns, such as the risk of infertility. The comprehensive Fertility & Hormone Preservation & Restoration Program at Lurie Children’s offers solutions for those young patients, giving many their only chance to have biological children one day. The program's leaders talk about this remarkable field of medicine and the hope it provides families.

Lurie Children’s Chest Wall Deformities Program is one of the few comprehensive centers in the country that focuses on the treatment of conditions including pectus excavatum, or sunken chest. Pediatric surgeon Dr. Fizan Abdullah is a world-renowned authority on minimally invasive surgery and chest wall deformities, and leader in researching health services and surgical quality improvement. We talk with him today about advances in chest wall deformity diagnosis and treatment.

Lurie Children's is among the only pediatric hospitals with a specialized colorectal center. The multidisciplinary team cares for children with colorectal conditions such as imperforate anus, Hirschsprung disease and severe constipation. Learn more from two of the center's leaders, Dr. Julia Grabowski and Dr. John Fortunato, about how their comprehensive approach to treating children with these conditions stands out.

Lurie Children’s nationally ranked Division of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine is engaged in many research studies. Experts are exploring ways to improve the bone health of children, prevent injuries and the need for unnecessary surgeries, and address health disparities in children's orthopedic care. Today we talk with three of the division’s specialists about their current scientific pursuits, and how that will transform care children and teens with orthopedic disorders.

Lurie Children's nationally ranked Division of Urology oversees one of the most experienced Multidisciplinary Valves Program (MVP) Clinic in the country. Their focus is treating children with a rare urological condition known as posterior urethral valves. Affecting only boys, PUV affects about 1 in 5,000 births and can lead to extreme damage to the kidney and bladder. Lurie Children's urologist Dr. Ed Gong and kidney specialist Dr. Kavita Hodgkins run the valves program and talk with us today about best practices in treating this rare and serious condition.

One of the only comprehensive fetal centers in the country, The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health at Lurie Children’s, treats patients with complex pregnancies. Among the rarest and most serious condition they see is twin to twin transfusion syndrome, a complication that affects 10 to 15 percent of identical twins. In this condition, the twins share a placenta which can lead to extreme prematurity and significant injury to major organs or even death. Fetal surgeons like our guest Dr. Amir Alhajjat are sometimes able to correct this condition in utero. Today, we talk with him about this serious condition and treatment for it.

When children suffer from heart failure and all medical options are exhausted, sometimes the next option is to use mechanical support to keep their heart going. The machine that supports this is called a Ventricular Assist Device, commonly known as a VAD. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is the home to the #1 ranked pediatric Heart Center in Illinois and offers one of the highest-volume pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) programs in the world. We hear from the leaders of that program at Lurie Children’s.

Spina bifida affects about 1,400 babies born each year. Children with the most severe forms of the condition can have difficulty walking, bowel and bladder issues and many other complications. The multidisciplinary Spina Bifida Center at Lurie Children's provides comprehensive care for children and adolescents with spina bifida and other types of congenital spinal anomalies, from prenatal consultation through young adulthood. Dr. Robin Bowman leads the center. She is a neurosurgeon who sometimes performs a surgery on babies diagnosed with spina bifida, repairing the condition and improving the prognosis for the child. We talk with her today about the latest in spina bifida treatment and care.