Pediatric

One of the most common childhood surgeries performed, a tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure used to remove chronically infected tonsils. While a tonsillectomy is not always the first course of treatment your physician may try, the procedure may be performed if a child continues to have swollen and infected tonsils, especially if they are impacting the child’s overall health or causing snoring, sleep or breathing problems.

Adenoids, or the tissue right above the tonsils, can become swollen from infection just like the tonsils. Normally enlarged adenoids will return to their normal size once the infection is gone or can be treated with medication. However, in some children it may become necessary to remove the adenoids if the condition remains. Many times this procedure is done in conjunction with a tonsillectomy.

Ear tubes are tiny cylinders inserted through the ear drum to allow air into the middle ear. While most ear infections can run their course or be treated with medication, for other children chronic middle ear infection may require the placement of tubes – especially if it’s impacting the child’s health or hearing.

Sometimes children are born with an airway anomaly while other times they may acquire the condition as they grow. Either way, an airway anomaly such as those that cause a breathing problem or obstruction can be serious and even life threatening. Depending on the issue, there are numerous procedures that can be performed from airway reconstruction of the voice box or trachea, to an endoscopic surgical procedure to clear the child’s airways.

An endoscopic procedure can be used to help your child’s physician take a closer look at parts of the throat such as the larynx or vocal cords. Endoscopy also can be used to perform surgery. Since these procedures can be done through the mouth or nose, without the need for an incision in the neck, this method can reduce pain and shorten recovery time. Learn More

Many surgeries to open nose and sinus passages or airways can now be performed with endoscopic surgery, a less invasive procedure. In children, sinus surgery is much less common and is usually used to treat chronic sinusitis when medical treatment has not helped.

Vascular malformations and hemangiomas, sometimes called birthmarks, can be present at birth or appear in the first few months of life. Vascular malformations or lesions do not go away or disappear on their own and tend to grow as the child grows. Depending on the type of lesion, patients may require multiple treatments ranging from minimally invasive surgery to medical management.