Surgery Departments at The Children's Hospital
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Dental Surgery
Gastroenterology Surgery
Gynecology
Neonatal Surgery
Neurosurgery
Ophthalmology
Orthopedic Surgery
Otolaryngology
Pediatric Surgery (General Surgery)
Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery
Transplant Surgery
Urology
The Children's Hospital surgical team includes board-certified surgeons who represent several different surgical specialties. Children's surgeons employ a variety of specialized surgical techniques, contributing to Children's ranking as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country. Children’s offers several nationally recognized programs and procedures for the pediatric patient.
The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery provides surgical care to infants, children, adolescents and young adults with congenital and acquired cardiovascular abnormalities. The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery is part of the multidisciplinary The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute. Our nationally known cardiac care teams, state-of-the-art technology and comprehensive research make The Children's Hospital Heart Institute one of the best places in the nation for pediatric cardiac care. The Children’s Hospital cardiovascular surgeons perform 15-20 heart transplants and over 500 operative procedures on infants through young adults each year. Cardiac surgeons use a variety of surgical techniques to correct cardiac problems including open-heart, minimally-invasive, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.
The Children's Hospital Department of Pediatric Dentistry serves over 20,000 infants, children and adolescents each year. Recognized as experts in pediatric dentistry, the dental staff focuses on providing an all-inclusive continuum of care while treating healthy and medically compromised children. Children's dentists provide comprehensive oral healthcare evaluations and referrals for complex dental and craniofacial conditions. The Department of Pediatric Dentistry also includes facilities for general anesthesia associated with the provision of dental treatment for selected cases. The department performs nearly 2,200 operative procedures a year, often in conjunction with other surgical services in order to better coordinate care and minimize costs to families.
The Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at The Children's Hospital runs the only pediatric endoscopy unit dedicated solely to children in the region, in collaboration with pediatric anesthesiologists and pediatric nurses. The full range of endoscopic and other non-invasive procedures are offered for surgical GI cases. Advanced practice nurses in the area of liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and special nutrition assist physicians and are resources for complex patients.
The Department of Gynecology at The Children’s Hospital excels in clinical care; community and hospital based educational support and research activities. Physicians and staff are specially trained in age-appropriate gynecological examination, prepubertal injuries and infections, and the variations in normal prepubertal anatomy and physiology. A strong emphasis is placed on communicating with children and adolescents and their families in caring and sensitive ways. The department provides a broad spectrum of gynecology services weekly in the Adolescent Medicine Clinic at The Children’s Hospital as well as in network clinics. Issue s involving pediatric vulva disorders, menstrual disorders, ovulation dysfunction, contraception, cervical dysplasia, pelvic pain and adnexal masses are addressed. Surgical procedures are performed with minimally invasive equipment to minimize discomfort in young children and teens.
The Children's Hospital is the regional referral center for neonatal surgery. Children's surgeons are available for the surgical repair of birth defects on premature and full term infants. In addition, Children's is also the regional referral center for infants with respiratory problems. Children's specialists use state-of-the-art therapies such as high-frequency ventilation, nitric oxide and extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to treat infants with respiratory problems.
As the pediatric neurosurgical referral center for a large part of the western United States, The Children’s Hospital’s pediatric neurosurgeons and staff care exclusively for infants, children and adolescents undergoing complex brain and spinal cord surgery. The Department of Neurosurgery offers integrated, comprehensive treatment for all types of disorders affecting the nervous system and skull including traumatic injury, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, brain tumors, and facial and skull deformities. The initiation of the Surgical Epilepsy Program offers the region’s only comprehensive treatment program for chronic seizure disorders. Brain Lab® image-guided endoscopic surgery allows neurosurgeons to perform complex brain operations through relatively small openings in the skull.
The Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology at The Children’s Hospital is the center for the diagnosis and treatment of all childhood eye disorders and eye trauma for the Rocky Mountain region. The department offers expertise in the treatment of congenital cataracts and other genetics related conditions, sight disorders in low birth weight premature infants and pediatric glaucoma. Affiliation with the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute (RMLEI) on the University of Colorado campus gives young patients and their families access to cornea transplants through the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank as well as access to eye tumor, retinal, and oculoplastic surgical specialists. Routine services, such as eye exams, second-opinion consultations and diagnosis and treatment of common disorders such as pink eye (conjunctivitis) and styes (chalazion), are also offered.
The Department of Orthopedics at The Children’s Hospital is the premier provider for pediatric orthopedic treatment in the Rocky Mountain region. The pediatric orthopedic physicians and staff at The Children’s Hospital are experts in the growth and development of bones, muscles and joints. The team provides treatment across a broad spectrum of pediatric problems ranging from common breaks or fractures and joint sprains to the most complex musculoskeletal deformities, traumatic injuries and bone tumors. The Children's Hospital orthopedic team specializes in pediatric and adolescent specific orthopedic diagnosis such as, hip dysplasia, sports injuries in young athletes, spine development, scoliosis, gait analysis and pediatric bone tumors. Patients are evaluated both in our offices at The Children’s Hospital as well as in our network sites.
The Department of Otolaryngology provides comprehensive ear, nose and throat (ENT) care for the children of the Rocky Mountain region. Our doctors see over 10,000 young patients annually both at Children’s as well as in our network offices. Collaboration with other services at Children’s, such as Audiology, Speech Pathology, Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy/Immunology, Pediatric Medicine and Pediatric Surgery, provides the region’s most comprehensive continuum of pediatric ENT care. In addition to general pediatric ENT clinics, faculty and staff conduct interdisciplinary clinics for sinusitis, voice disorders, vascular malformations and hearing loss. The Department of Otolaryngology also leads the hospital’s cleft lip and palate clinic and the region’s only pediatric sleep evaluation program.
Pediatric Surgery (General Surgery)
The Pediatric Surgery team includes board-certified pediatric surgeons who offer a wide variety of surgical services to infants, children, adolescents and young adults. The pediatric surgeons at The Children’s Hospital repair congenital deformities of the head, neck, chest, abdomen and rectum. They also care for children with chest and abdominal tumors. The surgeons do complicated operations that include kidney and liver transplants, as well as more common procedures that include appendectomy, inguinal and umbilical hernia repair, undescended testes and other visible and palpable lesion removal or biopsy. The Children’s Hospital Department of Pediatric Surgery offers the region’s only pediatric Level I trauma program a burn program as well as a colorectal and complex pelvic floor program that addresses problems of stool and urinary continence. Many procedures are done using minimally invasive surgery techniques including the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux or regurgitation and chest wall deformity correction.
The Department of Plastic Surgery is committed to providing the highest standard of plastic and reconstructive care to neonates, infants, children, and adolescents up to 18 years of age. The program provides acute and long-term care for children with craniofacial, cleft lip and palate, vascular malformations and other reconstructive surgical problems. Care is provided, in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. The program integrates the multidisciplinary efforts of neurosurgery, dental surgery, otolaryngology, the burn program, and the cleft lip and palate program.
Transplant Surgery
Children who faced certain death just a few years ago due to major organ failure now have the opportunity for a nearly normal quality of life through organ transplantation at The Children’s Hospital. In addition, children with cancer or blood disorders have another chance at a healthy life through bone marrow transplants. Nationally recognized for our transplantation programs, the staff at The Children’s Hospital ensures that every pediatric transplant candidate at The Children’s Hospital and his family receive individualized attention to help prepare physically, emotionally and financially for the major issues involved in organ transplantation. The Children’s Hospital has formal transplantation programs for:
The Department of Pediatric Urology at The Children’s Hospital provides expert diagnosis, testing that includes urodynamic analysis, medical consultation, and surgical resolution for the full range of pediatric urological conditions. Extensive use of noninvasive and minimally invasive diagnostic testing and surgical interventions are done that include laparoscopic procedures and the use of the DaVinci Robot. Today, almost 90 percent of all pediatric urological surgeries can be performed in the outpatient setting or with short-term hospitalizations. The Department also offers the prenatal/neonatal consultative clinic as well as a Dry Time Clinic for children with urinary incontinence.
