Precision

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...

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 iden...

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 j...

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 t...

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 Lur...

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...

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...

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 T he 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 per...

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...

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,...

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 biol...

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...

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 co...

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 purs...

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...

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 prematurit...

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 highe...

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 consult...

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 chil...

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...

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...

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 m...

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 t...