Precision

Lurie Children's is home to one of the world's leading pediatric hepatobiliary surgery programs. In this episode, Drs. Riccardo Superina and David Grabski discuss specialized procedures that can help children with rare and complex liver conditions avoid transplantation, what makes Lurie Children's unique in this field and how this expertise is being passed to the next generation of surgeons.

Childhood cancer surgery requires far more than removing a tumor. Surgeons are balancing effective cancer treatment with protecting a child's growth, organ function, fertility, and long-term quality of life. In this episode, Dr. Timothy Lautz, Director of Surgical Oncology at Lurie Children's, discusses how advances in pediatric cancer surgery are improving outcomes for children. He explains how his team uses innovative techniques, including fluorescent agents that help surgeons identify tumors during surgery, kidney-sparing procedures that preserve organ function, and collaborative, multidisciplinary care that supports children throughout treatment and survivorship.  

A routine pregnancy ultrasound became a life-changing moment for one family and the beginning of an extraordinary medical journey for a baby named Hope. In this episode, Dr. Aimen Shaaban, Director of The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health and Hope's parents, Matt and Megan, talk about Hope's prenatal diagnosis and how careful planning, multidisciplinary expertise and resilience led to a remarkable outcome and a thriving child today.

A new Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction (PAR) program at Lurie Children's is offering a complex surgical procedure that repairs or rebuilds the blood vessels responsible for carrying blood from the heart to the lungs. Pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Elisabeth Martin, was appointed Director of the program and of Surgical Outcomes Research at Lurie Children's. She is one of the few surgeons in the country with expertise to perform this complex surgical procedure that repairs or rebuilds the blood vessels responsible for carrying blood from the heart to the lungs. In this episode, she describes how this procedure can support the long-term heart and lung health of children in need of this intervention and how she plans to continue developing innovative surgical approaches that can transform young patients' lives.

With advanced surgical training and a background in computer science, Dr. Brett Lullo brings a unique set of skills to Lurie Children's pediatric orthopedic programs and is dedicated to improving outcomes for children with both common and challenging spinal conditions. In this episode, Dr. Lullo describes many of the conditions he treats and explains his passion for bringing new technologies, data science and machine learning into pediatric orthopedic care. 

Each year, more than 2200 children from around the world come to Lurie Children's Epilepsy Center for expert multidisciplinary epilepsy care. In this episode, Dr. David Bieber, a pediatric epilepsy specialist and director of the Clinical Neurophysiology program at Lurie Children's explains how new innovations help the team offer the very latest in personalized epilepsy care.

Until recent advances in genetics testing, 22q Deletion Syndrome also known as DiGeorge Syndrome, was often difficult to diagnose. Now, more children are receiving this diagnosis earlier in life and Lurie Children's 22q Deletion Program has assembled a team of experts to care for this special group of children who may face serious symptoms ranging from congenital heart defects to immune system problems and cleft palate. In this episode, Dr. Laura Rosenthal and Dr. Kelly Regan-Fendt explain the strengths of their multidisciplinary team and holistic care plans that can be tailored for each patient's unique needs.

The Pediatric Liver Transplantation Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago recently completed its 500th liver transplant. This milestone comes 28 years after performing its first one in 1997. As one of the largest and most experienced programs of its kind in the country, the pediatric liver transplantation team consistently has high volumes of patients with successful outcomes. In this episode of Precision, Dr. Juan Carlos Caicedo, Division Head of Transplant & Advanced Hepatobiliary Surgery and Surgical Director of the Siragusa Transplantation Center at Lurie Children's talks about what this milestone means for patients, families, and the future of transplant care.

Many patients and families may be unfamiliar with what happens inside the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab at Lurie Children's and the specialized procedures performed there. In this episode of Precision, Dr. Conor O'Halloran, a pediatric cardiologist at Lurie Children's who specializes in catheter-based procedures, offers a detailed explanation of what to expect during a cath lab procedure, the innovations in technology enhancing patient care, and Lurie Children's collaborative approach with cardiac care teams.

In a special episode of Precision: Perspectives on Children's Surgery, you will hear a powerful story about a little boy named Patrick Marvel who was diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy due to a perinatal stroke and how an endoscopic hemispherectomy surgery at Lurie Children's transformed his life. Patrick's parents, Erin and Brendan Marvel, join Dr. Sandi Lam, Division Head of Neurosurgery Lurie Children's who performed Patrick's surgery, to discuss how advocacy and medical expertise can turn a devastating diagnosis into a hopeful new beginning.