Pediatric Surgery

UCLA Health pediatric surgery: Leading excellence in pediatric care

At UCLA Health, our pediatric surgeons are at the forefront of innovative surgical techniques and comprehensive care. We collaborate with primary care pediatricians, family physicians and pediatric specialists to provide the most effective treatments for your child.

Why choose UCLA Health pediatric surgeons?

Specialized expertise: Our outstanding team of pediatric surgeons brings specialized experience across various fields, including gastrointestinal (GI), colorectal, oncology and thoracic surgeries. We excel at minimally invasive techniques, which reduce stitches and recovery time, ensuring precise and effective treatments tailored to your child's needs.

World-renowned program: UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital is a major referral center for chest anomalies, such as pectus excavatum (sunken chest syndrome). Patients from across the United States and around the world seek our expert care. Our surgeons lead the way in advanced techniques, resulting in excellent outcomes.

Expert care for newborns: At the UCLA Health Fetal Care Center, our labor and delivery department is located next to neonatal care, allowing for immediate, advanced care for newborns. A multidisciplinary team, including surgeons, maternal fetal medicine specialists, cardiologists and neonatologists, provides exceptional care for a wide spectrum of conditions.

Convenience and accessibility: Our expert surgeons are committed to serving the Los Angeles community at multiple locations, ensuring your child receives world-class outpatient care close to home.

Our areas of care

UCLA Health pediatric surgeons deliver effective care using the latest surgical techniques. You can feel comfortable knowing that your child is in expert hands. Our services include:

Inpatient and outpatient procedures

We provide both routine outpatient procedures and complex surgeries requiring hospitalization. Our pediatric surgeons are skilled in advanced treatments, including robotic surgery techniques. Minimally invasive surgeries typically involve smaller incisions, fewer stitches, and less recovery time. We also offer lifesaving trauma surgical support at the UCLA Mattel Pediatric Trauma Center and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

UCLA Health Fetal Care Center

At our multispecialty care center, pediatric surgeons work alongside experts from maternal fetal medicine, pediatrics and neonatology. Our team offers comprehensive care for babies with congenital abnormalities and those who need surgical care when they’re born. Our unique setup allows us to care for moms and babies before, during and after delivery, all on the same floor.

During pregnancy, we offer parents prenatal consultations, providing compassionate support and important information about their baby’s treatment plan. On delivery day, babies transition directly to neonatal care and, if needed, receive neonatal surgery immediately after birth, without the need to transfer to a different hospital. This approach enables our surgeons to deliver treatments as soon as possible, leading to better outcomes. Additionally, it allows parents and babies to stay close during treatment, fostering a supportive and cohesive environment for families.

Pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum repair

UCLA Health pediatric surgeons were among the first to develop techniques for treating pectus excavatum, a common chest deformity in children. Also known as sunken chest syndrome or funnel chest, this condition causes the ribs and breastbone to appear indented toward the spine. Severe cases can lead to breathing and heart problems. Another condition, pectus carinatum or pigeon chest, causes the chest to protrude. Both disorders result from abnormal cartilage growth, typically occurring during childhood or puberty.

Our surgeons specialize in both minimally invasive and traditional (open) surgeries to correct these chest anomalies. Minimally invasive procedures are generally less painful and involve shorter hospital stays compared to traditional surgery. As a major referral center, we treat children from around the world, providing effective treatments tailored to each child's age, lifestyle, and overall health.

Oncological (cancer) surgery

Our pediatric surgeons use the latest techniques to remove cancerous and benign (noncancerous) tumors. We partner with your child’s oncology team to deliver coordinated care and unwavering support at every step. As leaders in comprehensive cancer care for children, we specialize in a range of procedures, including thoracic surgery to remove tumors on the lungs or chest wall.

Bariatric surgery

Our surgeons specialize in weight loss surgery for children and adolescents, understanding their unique needs. Our expertise ensures we deliver safe and effective treatments tailored for young patients.

We collaborate with the UCLA Health FIT for Healthy Weight Program to offer bariatric surgery and proven weight loss strategies. These efforts help children lose weight, maintain their weight loss, and improve their physical well-being. To support your child before and after surgery, we provide classes on exercise and lifelong healthy habits. Additionally, our registered dietitians create detailed nutrition plans to maximize your child's health.

Vascular anomalies

Our expert team treats all types of vascular anomalies in children using the latest surgical techniques. Vascular anomalies, including hemangiomas and malformations, are growths or birthmarks caused by abnormal blood vessel development.

We utilize sophisticated imaging for precise surgical planning and execution. Our skilled pediatrics surgeons employ advanced techniques, including lasers, to safely remove vascular anomalies while minimizing scarring. We take a team approach, collaborating with pediatric dermatologists, hematologists, interventional radiologists, and plastic and reconstructive surgeons to provide the most effective care.

Conditions we treat

As global leaders in pediatric surgery, our team treats a wide range of conditions, disorders, and diseases. We specialize in caring for babies, children, and adolescents with congenital conditions (those present at birth) and acquired conditions, such as injuries from accidents and trauma. Some of the most common conditions we treat include:

Birth Defects: Including tracheoesophageal fistula, where an abnormal opening develops between the windpipe and the esophagus.
Childhood Cancers: Including Wilms tumor (kidney growth), neuroblastoma (nerve tissue cancer), childhood ovarian masses and rhabdomyosarcoma (soft tissue tumor).
Childhood Obesity
Colorectal Disorders: Including Hirschsprung disease, encopresis and anorectal malformations (lower intestine abnormalities).
Hernias: Including umbilical hernia (intestines protrude through the abdomen wall at the belly button) and inguinal hernia (intestines bulge through the abdominal wall at the groin).
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Chest Wall Deformities: Including pectus excavatum (sunken chest syndrome) and pectus carinatum (pigeon chest).

Operations we offer

UCLA Health pediatric surgeons are highly skilled at performing even the most complex procedures. We have experience treating babies, children, and teens. We specialize in:

Cryoablation Techniques: Using extreme cold to remove damaged or abnormal tissues from anywhere on the body. Cryoablation procedures involve less pain and scarring than open surgery.
Hernia Repair: Skilled in minimally invasive techniques to repair various types of hernias in children.
IBD Surgery: Specializing in surgical procedures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including restorative proctocolectomy. We remove diseased parts of the intestines while keeping the anus intact, allowing normal bowel movement control. We also specialize in advanced GI procedures, including partial or total colon removal.
Nuss Procedure: A minimally invasive option to treat pectus excavatum. Surgeons insert a custom-made, curved bar into the chest through small incisions and rotate it to push the chest out. The bar remains in place for 2 to 3 years and is removed during an outpatient procedure.
Orchiopexy (Correction of Undescended Testicle): Surgeons gently move the testicle into the proper place in the scrotum and stitch it in place.
Removal of Benign Growths: Outpatient procedures to remove benign (noncancerous) cysts, masses, and lumps from the head, neck, trunk, arms, and legs.
Sleeve Gastrectomy: A weight-loss surgery that removes up to 80% of the stomach, reducing the amount a child can eat while still allowing nutrient absorption needed for growth.
Surgical Oncology: Collaborating with pediatric oncologists to treat a range of childhood cancers. We remove tumors using the latest technology and advanced techniques.

Meet our team

All UCLA Health pediatric surgeons are recognized as Fellows of the American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.) and Fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics (F.A.A.P.). We provide exceptional surgical care for your child, offering unparalleled expertise in both inpatient and outpatient procedures.