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“Surgery” can be a daunting word to children and their parents. Even minor surgical procedures can seem frightening, especially without proper education about diagnoses and surgical indications. That’s why we take the time to explain everything in clear English and help put patients and their families at ease. Our pediatric surgical specialists are extensively trained to care for a wide variety of surgical problems encountered in children, with each surgeon board certified in his or her area of specialization.
From premature infants to young adults up to 20 years old, our patients benefit from the continuous interaction between our pediatric surgical teams and their colleagues working in such specialties as neonatology, oncology and gastroenterology. The Department of Surgery is actively involved in such multidisciplinary programs as our Level I Trauma Service, Solid Organ Transplantation, Pediatric Burn Center and Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) programs. Our specially trained pediatric surgery nurse practitioners and physician assistants provide consummate support to the Department of Surgery, as do many other hospital support services such as our Pre-Admission Program and our Child Life Program.
Surgical Sections:
Cardiothoracic Surgery
General and Thoracic Surgery
Neurosurgery
Ophthalmology
Orthopedic Surgery
Otolaryngology
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Urology
There is continuous interaction with our pediatric specialist colleagues (e.g., in Neonatology, Oncology, and Gastroenterology) in the care of premature infants through twenty years of age. Multidisciplinary programs involving the Department of Surgery are available at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and include: a Level I Trauma Service, Solid Organ Transplantation, Pediatric Burn Center and ECMO. These and other unique programs provide state-of-the-art care to children of the Philadelphia region and beyond.
Many hospital services support the activities of the Department of Surgery, including the Pre-admission Program, Child Life Program, specially trained pediatric surgery nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
The Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery works closely together with the Section of Cardiology to provide comprehensive care for neonates, infants, children and adolescents with congenital and acquired heart disease. Evaluation of pediatric patients with heart problems is provided by St. Christopher's cardiologists at the Heart Center for Children and at a network of satellite offices.
Consultation with cardiac surgeons is available 24 hours a day. St. Christopher's staff of cardiothoracic surgeons is recognized throughout the region for providing excellent care for virtually all forms of heart disease in pediatric patients. A multi-disciplinary approach involving cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, nurse practitioners, critical care physicians and social workers helps to meet the needs of patients and their families. Special expertise in the Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery results in the referral of patients requiring comprehensive treatment for a broad spectrum of cardiac diseases:
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Neonates with complex heart malformations such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, transposition of the great arteries or interrupted aortic arch
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Patients with single ventricle anomalies
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Patients with complex forms of Tetralogy of Fallot and atrioventricular canal defects
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Patients with valvular heart disease needing either valve repair or tissue valve replacement (homograft or Ross procedure)
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Patients with heart rhythm disorders requiring pacemakers, implantable defibrillators or surgical treatment
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Patients with lung disorders related to congenital heart disease
Collaboration with interventional cardiologists in the Heart Center for Children allows many children with congenital heart anomalies to be treated without surgery, or with less surgery than would otherwise be necessary. Minimally invasive surgical techniques are also available, with the emphasis always on patient safety first, and on cosmetics second.
Peri-operative care of cardiothoracic patients is provided in a dedicated Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CCU), which is staffed by skilled nurses and managed by physician members of the Sections of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Cardiology 24 hours a day. Family participation in patient care is emphasized.
In general, a comprehensive approach to heart disease early in life results in the most satisfactory outcome and quality of life for the child and family.
To arrange an appointment or consultation: 215-427-5109
Marshall L. Jacobs, MD
Chief, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
Surgical Director, Heart Center for Children
Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Medical School: Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA
Special Training:
Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA; Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA
Staff Appointment: 1999
Special Interests: Neonatal heart surgery, surgery for single ventricle anomalies, neuro-protective strategies in pediatric heart surgery, valvular and aortic surgery in
children
Appointments: 215-427-5109
Glenn Pelletier, MD
Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Medical School: Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH
Special Training:
Residency: Washington University, St. Louis, MO; University of Pennsylvania
Fellowship: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Staff Appointment: 2004
Special Interests: Neonatal congenital heart surgery, adult congenital surgery, single ventricle congenital heart disease
Appointments: 215-427-5109
The Division of General, Thoracic Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery is staffed by board certified pediatric surgeons. To obtain board certification in Pediatric Surgery, individuals must be trained and certified in General Surgery by the American Board of Surgery prior to undertaking a two-year Pediatric Surgery Fellowship. This intensive and specialized training offers pediatric surgeons the skills and expertise to manage complex problems in premature infants to patients up to 21 years of age.
Both congenital and acquired problems are managed by the faculty and include birth anomalies that involve the liver, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract and lung development. Acquired abnormalities include localized infections and tumors involving the neck, chest and abdomen. The Section of General and Thoracic Surgery also is involved in extensive use of outpatient surgery for such problems as inguinal hernia, undescended testicle, removal of small cysts and masses in the skin and subcutaneous tissue and other simple surgical procedures.
The Division is at the forefront in the use of minimally invasive techniques, a great advantage in the surgery of infants and children with shortened hospitalizations, less postoperative pain and minimal incisions. Each member of the Section plays a significant role in the advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery Program. Solid organ (kidney and liver) transplantation has been a long-standing and successful program at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.
Specific programs within the Section of General and Thoracic Surgery are listed below:
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Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery
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Pediatric Trauma
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Pediatric Kidney and Liver Transplantation
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Chest Wall Abnormalities (pectus excavatum and caranatum)
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Surgical Management of Obesity
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ECMO
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Management of Burns
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Basic science research in lung physiology and gastrointestinal physiology
The Division is proud to have a Fellowship Program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to train one surgeon per year in Pediatric Surgery.
Marshall Z. Schwartz, MD
Surgeon-in-Chief
Department of Surgery
Surgical Director, Pediatric Renal Transplantation
Director, Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratory
Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
Drexel University College of Medicine
Thomas Jefferson University
Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN
Special Training:
Residency: Pediatric Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Fellowship: Research, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN
Fellowship: Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Research: Pediatric Surgery
Staff Appointment: 2004
Special Interests: Neonatal and pediatric surgery, gastrointestinal anomalies, inflammatory bowel disease, chest wall deformity (pectus excavatum/caranatum), renal transplantation
Appointments: 215-427-5292
Matthew Moront, MD
Director, Pediatric Trauma
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
Medical School: Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Special Training:
Residency: University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester MA; Children’s National Medical Center,
Washington, DC; Georgetown University, School of Medicine, Washington, DC
Research Fellowship: Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
Staff Appointment: 2000
Special Interests: Trauma, newborn anomalies, injury prevention
Appointments: 215-427-5292
Lindsay Grier Arthur, III, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic and Minimally Invasive Surgery
Medical School: Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Special Training:
Residency: Surgery, Thomas Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship: Pediatric Surgery, Columbus Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Staff Appointment: 2007
Special Interests:
Appointments: 215-427-5292
Rajeev Prasad, MD
Department of Surgery
Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic and Minimally Invasive Surgery
Medical School: Temple University Medical School, Philadelphia, PA
Special Training:
Resident: General Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Research Fellow: Pediatric Surgery Laboratory, A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children,
Wilmington, DE
Research: Pediatric Surgery
Staff Appointment 2007
Special Interests:
Appointments: 215-427-5292
The Section of Neurosurgery cares for children with surgical problems related to the skull, brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Some of the more common reasons for referral to the Section are skull deformities, hydrocephalus, head injury, syringomyelia and the Chiari malformations, spinal dysraphism, brain tumors, cerebral palsy and medically intractable epilepsy. Brachial plexus reconstruction after birth injury is a special interest of the Section Chief.
The Section participates actively in St. Christopher’s multidisciplinary programs in spina bifida, epilepsy and craniofacial disorders. Close, collegial relationships with other pediatric subspecialties such as neonatology, pediatric neurology, developmental pediatrics, pediatric oncology, pediatric anesthesiology and intensive care, and the other pediatric surgical subspecialties ensure comprehensive, coordinated care for every infant, child and adolescent patient.
Joseph H. Piatt, Jr., MD, FAAP
Chief, Section of Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery
Medical School: University of Pennsylvania
Special Training:
Residency: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
Fellowship: The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
Staff Appointment: 2000
Special Interests: Brachial plexus birth injury, brain tumors, Chiari malformation, craniofacial deformities and craniosynostosis, endoscopic intraventricular surgery, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, spasticity, spina bifida
Appointments: 215-427-5196
The Section of Ophthalmology provides comprehensive eye care for children. Diagnosis and treatment are performed using medical and surgical methods. Section surgeons coordinate the care of children with routine and complex ocular disorders. The Section also evaluates and treats vision problems and reading disorders. Areas of special expertise include:
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