Precision

Childhood cancer surgery requires far more than removing a tumor. Surgeons are balancing effective cancer treatment with protecting a child's growth, organ function, fertility, and long-term quality of life. In this episode, Dr. Timothy Lautz, Director of Surgical Oncology at Lurie Children's, discusses how advances in pediatric cancer surgery are improving outcomes for children. He explains how h...

A routine pregnancy ultrasound became a life-changing moment for one family and the beginning of an extraordinary medical journey for a baby named Hope. In this episode, Dr. Aimen Shaaban , Director of The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health and Hope's parents, Matt and Megan, talk about Hope's prenatal diagnosis and how careful planning, multidisciplinary expertise and resilience led to a remarkab...

A new Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction (PAR) program at Lurie Children's is offering a complex surgical procedure that repairs or rebuilds the blood vessels responsible for carrying blood from the heart to the lungs. Pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Elisabeth Martin , was appointed Director of the program and of Surgical Outcomes Research at Lurie Children's. She is one of the few surgeons in...

With advanced surgical training and a background in computer science, Dr. Brett Lullo brings a unique set of skills to Lurie Children's pediatric orthopedic programs and is dedicated to improving outcomes for children with both common and challenging spinal conditions. In this episode, Dr. Lullo describes many of the conditions he treats and explains his passion for bringing new technologies, data...

Each year, more than 2200 children from around the world come to Lurie Children's Epilepsy Center for expert multidisciplinary epilepsy care. In this episode, Dr. David Bieber , a pediatric epilepsy specialist and director of the Clinical Neurophysiology program at Lurie Children's explains how new innovations help the team offer the very latest in personalized epilepsy care.

Until recent advances in genetics testing, 22q Deletion Syndrome also known as DiGeorge Syndrome, was often difficult to diagnose. Now, more children are receiving this diagnosis earlier in life and Lurie Children's 22q Deletion Program has assembled a team of experts to care for this special group of children who may face serious symptoms ranging from congenital heart defects to immune system pro...

The Pediatric Liver Transplantation Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago recently completed its 500th liver transplant. This milestone comes 28 years after performing its first one in 1997. As one of the largest and most experienced programs of its kind in the country, the pediatric liver transplantation team consistently has high volumes of patients with successful outc...

Many patients and families may be unfamiliar with what happens inside the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab at Lurie Children's and the specialized procedures performed there. In this episode of Precision, Dr. Conor O'Halloran, a pediatric cardiologist at Lurie Children's who specializes in catheter-based procedures, offers a detailed explanation of what to expect during a cath lab procedure, the...

In a special episode of Precision: Perspectives on Children's Surgery, you will hear a powerful story about a little boy named Patrick Marvel who was diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy due to a perinatal stroke and how an endoscopic hemispherectomy surgery at Lurie Children's transformed his life. Patrick's parents, Erin and Brendan Marvel, join Dr. Sandi Lam , Division Head of Neurosurgery Lu...

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern Medicine have established the Collaborative Advanced Reconstructive Evaluation (CARE) Clinic , which provides multidisciplinary care for children, adolescents and women with congenital anomalies and acquired diseases of the genitourinary tract. In this episode, two of the clinic's leaders, Drs. Julia Geynisman-Tan and Dr. Julia...

Experts in cardiac care at Lurie Children's Hospital want to ensure that children with congestive heart (CDH) disease live the healthiest, happiest lives possible. Lurie Children's unique, comprehensive approach is dedicated to investing in the long-term outcomes of children with CHD. In this episode, Dr. Kiona Allen , attending physician in cardiology and Medical Director of the Regenstein Cardia...

Anti-seizure medications are the mainstay of epilepsy treatment, but these medications are not effective for all forms of epilepsy, such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or LGS. It's a rare form of epilepsy that has no cure. Dr. Sandi Lam , Division Head, Neurosurgery at Lurie Children's,  is working to help pediatric patients with LGS and their families manage this condition by investigating the outcom...

In this episode, leaders from the multidisciplinary Spina Bifida Center at Lurie Children's  discuss their innovative approaches to spina bifida care in the areas of fetal surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, and urology. Learn about the latest advancements from the center, including a new orthopedic classification system that's shaping the future of spina bifida treatment.

Pediatric and adolescent patients at risk of losing their fertility due to medical conditions and treatments have more options than ever before to preserve their fertility for the future. In this episode,  Dr. Monica LaRonda , an expert in the field of reproductive biology,  shares many new projects she is leading alongside surgeons in Lurie Children's Fertility & Hormone Preservation & Restoratio...

A good night's sleep is critical to the health and well being of children, but undiagnosed or untreated obstructive sleep apnea can prevent kids from getting much needed rest and is associated with cardiovascular complications, impaired growth, learning problems, and behavioral problems. In this episode of Precision, Drs. Saied Ghadersohi and Taher Valika discuss the importance of sleep for childr...

Transformative care through pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery takes place every day at Lurie Children's Cleft Lip and Palate Repair Program. In this episode,  Dr. Arun Gosain , Division Head of Plastic Surgery at Lurie Children's, discusses the full spectrum of care the program offers to children with cleft lip and cleft palate, from birth through adulthood.

Lurie Children's Department of Anesthesiology administers tens of thousands of anesthetics every year to treat children with a range of health conditions. Leading these efforts is Anesthesiologist-in-Chief Dr. Olutoyin Olutoye . In this episode, Dr. Olutoye walks through her and her team members' various roles before, during, and after an operation to ensure successful surgeries for even the tinie...

Two Lurie Children's experts are on a mission to help define the next era of fetal cardiac intervention. In this episode, Dr. Sheetal Patel , a pediatric cardiologist and medical director of the fetal cardiology program at Lurie Children's, and Dr. Alan Nugent , a pediatric interventional cardiologist and section head of interventional cardiology catheterization at Lurie Children's, discuss their...

Obesity affects millions of families, with about one in five U.S. children being impacted by the disease. In this episode, Lurie Children's pediatric obesity expert Justin Ryder, PhD , explains the many ways to manage childhood obesity including the use of injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists that address the biological causes of this disease, weight-loss surgery and other resources available throug...

The Heart Transplant Program at Lurie Children's is one of the largest and most comprehensive heart transplant programs of its kind in the country. Just a few years ago, it reached a major milestone of completing its 400th pediatric heart transplant. The program's 40-person cardiovascular thoracic surgery team makes the program uniquely equipped to handle the most high-risk cases with exceptional...

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, known as DIPG, is a rare and aggressive type of pediatric cancer that forms in the brainstem, resulting in approximately 200 to 300 new cases in the United States each year. Fortunately, investigators at Lurie Children's Hospital are paving the way to breakthrough treatment for children with DIPG. In this episode, Lurie Children's physicians Dr. Ashley Plant-Fox a...

A disorder called Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or what is commonly referred to as POTS, has been on the rise in recent years in both adults and children. While surgery is not required, for children with cardiovascular symptoms of POTS, the Lurie Children's Heart Center team has taken a forward-thinking approach to treating the condition. Expanding its resources to meet increased dema...

Specialists within Lurie Children's Clubfoot Treatment Program are changing the lives of children born with clubfoot and other congenital limb deformities, through gold standard care that starts soon after birth. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Carl and Dr. Romie Gibly, both attending physicians in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Lurie Children's , explain the timeline of t...

Throughout the evolution of neonatal and pediatric heart surgery, Lurie Children's has built a reputation for building trust with families and providing the best possible care for children with complex heart conditions. In this episode, David Winlaw, MBBS, MD, FRACS , the surgical co-director of Lurie Children's Heart Center , discusses early diagnosis of heart conditions, advancements in neonatal...

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 Nad...