Precision

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.

Lurie Children's Heart Center makes the second opinion process easy for families seeking peace of mind that their child is getting appropriate medical care from experts in their field. Learn how this program works, and how it benefits families facing a difficult diagnosis.

Lurie Children’s Division of Ophthalmology provides a range of eye care for children, from those who need to correct their vision with glasses to those who endure eye trauma to those with serious congenital eye disorders and pediatric glaucoma. The division’s head, Dr. Brenda Bohnsack, is a physician-researcher who specializes in complex eye problems in children, sometimes restoring vision in children who would otherwise be blind. She discusses her clinical work and her research investigating new treatments for children with the most severe eye disorders.

Lurie Children’s Division of Otolaryngology treats more children for ear, nose and throat conditions than any other hospital in Illinois. One important component of the division is its Aerodigestive Program, which provides comprehensive care to children with – among other conditions – disordered breathing and sleeping disorders. Dr. Taher Valika, the medical director of the program, discusses his expertise in complex airway and sleep surgeries, how children benefit from his work and the research he is doing in this area to enhance treatment options.

More and more, babies with congenital heart diseases are diagnosed before they are born thanks to advances in ultrasound technology. Dr. Sheetal Patel, Director of Lurie Children’s Fetal Cardiology Program with the hospital’s nationally ranked Heart Center, is our guest today to discuss advances in this type of medicine, including a newly developed process at Lurie Children’s that streamlines the transferal of newborns with heart conditions to Lurie Children’s from their hospital of birth, reducing transfer time and risks to the baby. 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. Today we talk with the leaders of that program at Lurie Children’s.

Lurie Children’s is one of the only pediatric hospitals in the world home to experts in the surgical treatment and care for children with a rare disorder in which a clot forms blocking the main portal vein going into the liver. This condition is known as portal vein thrombosis, the cause of which in many cases is never determined. At Lurie Children’s, two pediatric liver experts are able to help many children with this condition avoid a liver transplant, even when their families have previously been told that is the only treatment. Today we talk with those physician-surgeons, Drs. Riccardo Superina and Caroline Lemoine.

When young patients get the devastating diagnosis of a brain tumor, their families want to know what treatment options they have to pursue. Pediatric neurosurgery specialists like Dr. Michael DeCuypere is not only trained in minimally invasive neurosurgery to remove tumors, but he is also among the few pediatric neurosurgeons in the country who is studying new ways to diagnose and treat them. We talk with him about the surgeon’s role in treating pediatric brain tumors and the potentially game-changing research he is leading now in this area.

Young patients with functional neurological complications, or problems with walking, general movement or chronic pain, can have trouble maintaining a high quality of life. Experts in this field like Dr. Jeffrey Raskin, who leads the functional neurosurgery program at Lurie Children’s, aim to provide treatment options that can help these pediatric patients and their families thrive.