Tokyo Women's Medical University

School of Medicine

Pediatric Surgery

Overview

The Department of Pediatric Surgery of Tokyo Women's Medical University had been providing pediatric surgical care as a pediatric group within the former Second Department of Surgery, but became independent as a hospital-affiliated department in April 2015. Currently, our department is not a part of the core fields, but we are in charge of pediatric surgical care at the main hospital of Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital and the affiliated Adachi Medical Center as an independent department.
Our department is certified as one of the leading facilities in Tokyo accredited by the Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgery. This accreditation is granted only to facilities that meet strict criteria such as having a board-certified pediatric surgeon, a certain number of surgeries including neonatal surgeries, pediatricians and anesthesiologists, etc., and are capable of providing advanced pediatric surgical care and training pediatric surgeons.
Our department performs more than 250 pediatric surgical procedures annually. We treat a wide range of surgical diseases seen in children, including head and neck, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, endocrine organs, and pediatric tumors, from the neonatal period immediately after birth to school age (under 15 years old). In addition to congenital diseases, traumatic injuries and diseases that develop after birth are equally treated by pediatric surgeons and specialists. Also, together with the Department of Pediatrics, the Department of Nephrology and Pediatrics, the Department of Cardiovascular Pediatrics, the Neonatal Division of the Maternal and Child Health Center, and the Pediatric Neurosurgery Group, we provide advanced pediatric team care.
One of the features of our department is pediatric endoscopic surgical diagnosis and treatment using thoracoscopes and laparoscopes by physicians certified by the Japanese Society of Endoscopic Surgery (in the field of pediatric surgery). Minimally invasive pediatric endoscopic surgical diagnosis and treatment of neonatal and infantile diseases that are representative of pediatric surgery, such as congenital esophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, biliary atresia, congenital biliary dilatation, Hirschsprung's disease, and imperforate anus, have been performed and many surgical techniques have been developed.

Education Details

Children are not miniature adults, and pediatric surgical care is a highly specialized field. On the other hand, from the viewpoint that patients operated on for congenital pediatric surgical diseases will continue to be treated by pediatric surgeons into adulthood, pediatric surgeons should be general surgeons who are expert in children, not surgeons who specialize only in children.　We train pediatric surgeons and supervisors who deeply consider the meaning of taking a scalpel to a child's body, always treat the child and family with humility, love the child, be close to the family, always consider the child's long life, and know more than anyone else the importance of a child's life.
While working closely with other surgical departments in the hospital, we can also choose hospitals of our choice for secondment to affiliated hospitals, whether for pediatric or adult patients, and can obtain a surgical specialist, which is a prerequisite for obtaining a pediatric surgical specialty, in the shortest possible time with plenty of time to spare.

Research Details

Clinical Research: Investigation on the effects of Insufflation during Pediatric Laparoscopic Surgery on the Human Body

In recent years, laparoscopic surgery has been introduced in the pediatric surgical field as well as the adult field, and it is expected to develop further in the future. However, the most important issue in this process is safety. Children have various pathological conditions that are unique to pediatric patients compared to adults, and it is necessary to examine the safety of laparoscopic surgery under these conditions. In particular, we will mainly focus on the various effects of laparoscopic surgery on children with severe mental and physical disabilities.

Clinical Research: Development of New Techniques in Pediatric Endoscopic Surgery

Our pediatric surgery department has 30 years of experience in pediatric laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery, and has developed several procedures that prioritize high safety and reliability, such as laparoscopic-assisted percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, laparoscopic 2-stage gastrostomy, laparoscopic-assisted peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion, and thoracoscopic funnel chest surgery using an internal wound scope and forceps. We will continue to develop minimally invasive surgical procedures that are safe and reliable for children.

Basic Research: Investigation of Novel Treatment for Prevention of Liver Injury Using Short Bowel Syndrome Rat Model

It is said that about half of patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) suffer from Intestinal Failure-Associated Liver Disease (IFALD). We are studying two surgical models of IFALD in rats: ① A short bowel syndrome model in which the intestinal tract is massively resected and ② A central venous catheter insertion model in which a central venous catheter is inserted. This research is being conducted in collaboration with the University's General Research Institute.

Faculty

Osamu Segawa
Ryo Sueyoshi

Related links

Research Achievements Database

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