When to visit a pediatric surgeon
Usually, your pediatrician or general care physician will be the one to suggest visiting a pediatric surgeon. It would be due to any medical or illness requiring surgery like hernia, appendicitis, trauma, urinary problem, or a congenital abnormality.
Sometimes children see a pediatric surgeon for unexplained symptoms that are difficult to diagnose, such as chronic abdominal pain, chronic constipation. A pediatric surgeon can evaluate your child’s condition and determine if surgery is right for your child.
Consider seeking appointment from an experienced pediatric surgeon if your child is having the following:
- Abdominal symptoms that your pediatrician cannot diagnose, such as ongoing pain, diarrhea, or constipation. Consult Pediatrics Surgeon to rule out causes like appendicitis, mesenteric Lymphadenopathy, Intussusception etc
- Vomiting- Greenish vomit can be due to intestinal obstruction which is an emergency. If your baby vomits out milk in projectile manner it could be Infantile Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis in which there is obstruction at the gastric outlet due to hypertrophy of muscle at the pylorus.
- Difficulty swallowing or problems feeding and regurgitation in an infant
- Constipation: If your child does not pass motion daily then it may be due to either Habitual Constipation or Hirschsprung’s Disease. Do not neglect constipation as it is difficult to cure if you start the treatment late.
- Umbilical Hernia: If there is swelling at the umbilicus, when baby cries then it is a case of umbilical hernia. If the hernia is reducible it needs no emergency surgical intervention but should be under follow up of a Pediatric Surgeon.
- Congenital anomaly: Your child has a condition or disease that requires ongoing monitoring and specialized surgical care, such as a birth defect.
- Absent testes in the scrotum: It is a case of undescended testes, which needs surgical correction.
- Urinary Infection or Difficulty In Passing Urine: Always consult Pediatric Surgeon if your child has urinary tract infection and rule out surgical causes of urinary tract infection. The child needs to be investigated to rule out Posterior Urethral Valve (PUV), Vesico-Ureteric Reflux (VUR), etc.
- Abnormal Urethral Opening and Bending of Penis: It is a case of Hypospadias and you should consult Pediatric Surgeon as soon as you detect this abnormality as surgical correction has to be done before the age of 6months.
- Bedwetting: If your child bed wets only at night then it needs behavioral therapy and medicines. If your child wets his undergarments in daytime also then rule out surgical causes of incontinence of urine like ectopic ureter and neurogenic bladder.
- Discharge from a small opening in the neck : Consult Pediatric Surgeon and rule out Branchial Sinus.
- Congenital anomaly detected during pregnancy: An antenatal USG suggestive of some anomaly in the newborn brings the entire family in a lot of stress and fear for the still to be born child. Good counseling of the parents and the family members regarding the nature of the disease and its prognosis and wellbeing of the child allies the family of the apprehension and also prepares them for the forthcoming illness.
- Trauma including injuries due to falls, sports and playground injuries, burns, motor vehicle accidents, Suturing with fine material, and giving a minimal scar is of very important to prevent an ugly lifelong scar in children. Also, Burns in children require more emphasis over the control of sepsis, better nutrition, wound care and electrolyte management.
