Health professionals specialty focus

Cook Children’s expert specialists share information about procedures, diagnoses or new treatments in this specialty focus section. Take a quick moment to read about a specialty you are interested in.

• Did you know that epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the U.S. with one of 26 people diagnosed during their lifetime? The prevalence of epilepsy is greater than autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis combined. More than 25 percent of patients will become “medically intractable” to treatment and should be evaluated for other treatment options to control seizures. By M. Scott Perry, M.D., medical director, Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.
• Many pediatric dermatology diagnoses are benign, but some are recommended for surgical evaluation. By Angela Hanna, M.D.
• Now available at Cook Children’s, fetal MRI which provides advanced imaging as an adjunct to ultrasound in prenatal diagnosis. Fetal MRIs at Cook Children’s are read by pediatric radiologists that receive additional training in pediatric imaging and are board certified. By Manish Kotecha, M.D.
• Does this child or teenager have a brain tumor? Cancers of the central nervous system are the most frequent type of solid tumors in children. Approximately 2,500-3,000 children are diagnosed with a brain tumor in the U.S. each year. Consider these symptoms and tests below during a patient evaluation. By Jeffrey C. Murray, M.D., medical director, Cook Children’s Neuro-Oncology.
• Greenstick fractures. Between 1-2 percent of all children will sustain a fracture in any given year, and greenstick fractures are one of the most common types experienced in this population. By Russell Smith, PA, a member of the Cook Children’s Orthopedic Services team.
• There are many hemoglobin variants. Read how to respond to hemoglobin variants on a newborn screen that are identified and unidentified. By Clarissa Johnson, M.D., Hematology and Oncology.
• The rotavirus vaccine has been very successful in improving the health of our kids. By Donald Murphey, M.D., Infectious Disease.
• Surgically correctable hernias in children. Hernias represent one of the most frequent surgically correctable problems in children and one of the most common procedures performed by a pediatric surgeon. By Chip Uffman, M.D., MPH, Pediatric Surgeon.
• Is it a rheumatic disease? Children are notorious for having multiple bumps, aches and pains as they grow up. When should those pains be noted as something more serious? By Maria Perez, M.D., Pediatric Rheumatology.
• Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common variety of scoliosis in the pediatric and adolescent population. Refer to this resource from David Gray, M.D.
• Enlarged lymph nodes are commonly found in children during sick and well visits. Learn more about lymphadenopathy from our lymphoma specialist, Kenneth Heym, M.D.
• If you would like help differentiating positional plagiocephaly from craniosynostosis, refer to this resource from Eric Hubli, M.D., medical director of Craniofacial and Cleft Surgery.
• One of the most common reasons for conducting a sleep lab study is for sleep disordered breathing. Use this resource from John Saito, M.D.
• Asthma affects nearly 19 percent of children and is the leading cause of missed school days. Please see this resource about how our Pulmonology department can help your asthmatic children by Nancy Dambro, M.D., medical director, Pulmonary Medicine.
• Pediatric anemia is one of the most common reasons for referral to a hematologist. Donald Beam, M.D., talks about the definition, indexes and laboratory evaluations.
• The two most common chest wall deformities fall into the categories of pectus carinatum (sternal protrusion) and pectus excavatum (sunken sternum). Read about the workup, indications for surgical referral and more from José Iglesias, M.D., associate medical director, Pediatric Surgery.
• New onset seizures are treated within the Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Cook Children’s. Our team is highly experienced and has the latest technology, including 3D brain mapping and a 10 bed EMU, with wireless monitoring. Our program sees more than 13,000 infants and children with seizures each year.
• New program to treat scoliosis. Cook Children’s Orthopedic Services, in conjunction with Cook Children’s Home Health, is launching an orthotic program that will allow patients to be fitted by a pediatric-trained orthotist.
• Syncope. Syncope is defined as the transient, self limited loss of consciousness (LOC) and as a consequence the concomitant loss of voluntary muscle tone.