Our surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital have been developing treatments for pediatric diseases for over a hundred years! Starting with William E Ladd, who many consider the Father of Pediatric focused surgical care, to our current chief and expert in vascular anomalies, Steve Fishman, Boston Children’s continues to be at the forefront of research and innovation. Of course, in this distinguished group of Surgical Leaders is Dr. Judah Folkman who was a pioneer in the field of angiogenesis and created the Vascular Biology Program here at Boston Children’s. Below are just a few of our achievements and contributions to improve the care of the most complex and critically ill children.
In 1971, Dr. Judah Folkman postulated that a factor or protein must exist that a tumor needs to survive and grow known as Tumor Angiogenesis Factor (TAF) at the time. Today, we know of several factors such that act like a TAF conceived by our own Dr. Folkman!
The diagram below, from one of Dr. Folkman’s early works, showed the four points at which he hypothesized that tumor angiogenesis might be interrupted.
Dr. Mark Puder describes the effect of a high carbohydrate diet on liver cells and how supplementing this with omega-3 fish oils can reduce damage from fatty liver inflammation!
Light Microscopy with Oil Red O staining at 400 magnification
 |
||
| Normal liver
|
Liver from a high carbohydrate dietfed mouse showing fat deposits in liver cells
|
Liver from a high carbohydrate diet fed mouse supplemental with omega 3 fish oil showing reduced fat deposits in liver cells |
Alwayn et al. Pediatric Research, 2005
A surgical innovator since his medical school days, Dr. Heung Bae Kim has developed not only the Serial Transverse EnteroPlasty (STEP) procedure for kids with short bowel syndrome but also several procedures for Midaortic syndrome, a rare disease in which there is a stricture in the abdominal aorta.
Our Esophageal and Airway Team (EAT) has also developed several novel procedures for children born with anatomical anomalies of the esophagus and trachea.
A condition in which the airway or trachea is prone to collapse and patients are predisposed to develop airway infections.
In some cases, patients are born with esophageal atresia so severe that it is impossible to reconnect the 2 ends during the first operation. With inspiration from Dr. Foker, the EAT performs this technically challenging procedure to correct this condition.
The EAT has identified some patients that are candidates for a minimally invasive approach to the Foker process. Learn more with the following video:
