Surgery | Programs & Services

We provide a full range of surgical care, from minor procedures such as hernia repair and circumcision to major operations. Our specialized centers offer comprehensive care for a wide range of surgical concerns.

• Adolescent Weight Loss (Bariatric) Surgery Program: The Adolescent Weight Loss (Bariatric) Surgery Program is dedicated to understanding and addressing the medical, surgical, nutritional, emotional, and social needs of children who are candidates for weight loss surgery. Our team of experts work with children and their families to provide the knowledge and support they need to maximize the chance for long-term health and well-being.
• Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation: The Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation (CAIR) offers a full range of surgical and non-surgical options for children with short bowel syndrome. Our team actively participates in research focused on the treatment and understanding of this condition and has made major contributions to the field, including the serial transverse enteroplasty (STEP) procedure, a breakthrough surgical technique that lengthens the bowels of children with short bowel syndrome.
• Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center: The Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center specializes in caring for infants, children, and adolescents with routine to complex colorectal and pelvic conditions. Our team of pediatric experts from surgery, gastroenterology, urology, and gynecology work together to provide comprehensive and personalized treatment plans for patients and families. We also partner with the Motility and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Center on related colorectal disorders, such as bowel management.
• Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Center: The Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) Center treats more than 20 newborns with a CDH each year, with a success rate among the best in the world. When a CDH is diagnosed or suspected during pregnancy, treatment is coordinated through the Fetal Care and Surgery Center. Children also come into the care of the program when a CDH is diagnosed after birth and on an outpatient basis for long-term treatment.
• Esophageal and Airway Treatment Center: The Esophageal and Airway Treatment (EAT) Center cares for infants, children, and young adults with esophageal and airway problems. Our treatments are the most effective surgical approaches in the world, helping children with airway and esophageal problems eventually eat and breathe normally. For our team, these very rare esophageal conditions are not rare at all. Our doctors have the knowledge and skill only time and experience can provide.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center: The Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center is one of the most frequently referred-to centers in the world for the diagnosis and treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Our team includes specialists in IBD and childcare, each with a unique role in providing care to make treatment as easy as possible for young patients and their families.
• Fetal Care and Surgery Center: The Fetal Care and Surgery Center (MFCC) provides diagnosis, ongoing screening, and care for pregnant persons with confirmed or suspected congenital anomalies of the fetus. Our center offers expecting parents entry into a continuum of care and support that extends from prenatal diagnosis and counseling through treatment and long-term follow-up.
• Midaortic Syndrome and Renovascular Hypertension Program: The Midaortic Syndrome and Renovascular Hypertension Program is dedicated to diagnosing, treating, and providing long-term support for children of all ages with these rare conditions. The program's multidisciplinary team of specialists in anesthesiology, cardiology, nephrology, radiology, and surgery meets twice a month to review cases and recommend the best available treatment options for each child based on their age, diagnosis, and other factors.
• Medicine United with Surgery in Caring for IBD Patients Clinic: Medicine United with Surgery in Caring for IBD Patients Clinic (MUSIC) Center is a clinic for children who have either had surgery or are considering surgery as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). At MUSIC, families meet with a surgeon, gastroenterologist, nurse practitioner and educator, dietitian, and social worker who specialize in IBD. 
• Pectus and Chest Wall Treatment Program: The Pectus and Chest Wall Treatment Program cares for infants, children, and young adults with differences in the shape of their chest. We offer the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic options of treatment, which may include non-operative as well as open and minimally invasive operative techniques. Our multidisciplinary team uses state-of-the-art methods to improve the quality of life for each child entrusted to our care.
• Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center: The Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center provides access to world-class pediatric surgical oncologists, state-of-the-art facilities, and a dedicated anesthesiology department for pre-, peri- and post-operative care. Our surgical oncologists are prepared at all times for surgical intervention as a primary or complimentary component of a patient’s treatment plan.
• Pilonidal Care Program: The Pilonidal Care Program is the largest pilonidal care program for teens and young adults in North America. We research every aspect of care we provide and create a customized plan for the specific needs of each patient. We treat the vast majority of our patients with non-invasive care, avoiding painful operations whenever possible.
• Pediatric Transplant Center: Our Pediatric Transplant Center has more than 40 years of experience performing life-saving transplants and providing personalized care. We offer specialized, uniquely collaborative programs dedicated to heart, lung, heart-lung, liver, kidney, intestine, and multivisceral, and stem cell transplants. Our team is at the forefront of clinical advances and research that may even help your child avoid a transplant or extend the time before needing one.
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Program: The Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) Program is the first multidisciplinary program dedicated to pediatric patients with TOS. While most cases of TOS affect adults, we focus on caring for young patients. Our team of surgeons, hematologists, physical therapists, radiologists, and sports medicine specialists understands how TOS affects children differently and how to best tailor care to manage the disease in pediatric patients. 
• Thyroid Center: The Thyroid Center is one of the first and largest centers in the United States exclusively devoted to the care and treatment of children with thyroid diseases. Our program's Thyroid Nodule Clinic is one of the largest pediatric practices of its type in the United States.
• Trauma Center: Boston Children’s is one of only a few hospitals in the United States to earn a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center verification from the American College of Surgeons — indicating that we provide the highest level of pediatric injury care. We rank among the top 10 hospitals in the nation for the volume of injured children treated. Each year, we care for twice as many injured kids as all other Boston hospitals combined. Our Critical Care Transport Program is the only CAMTS-certified team in New England — and our Critical Care Transport Ambulance is known as an "ICU on wheels."
• Vascular Anomalies Center: The Vascular Anomalies Center (VAC) has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular anomalies and provides care to more than 2,000 patients every year. Regarded as the premier center in the world for these disorders, we treat a variety of vascular anomalies: from simple tumors and malformations to the most rare and complex syndromes.