Pediatric Surgery Study Syllabus

Welcome to the pediatric surgery service. Pediatric surgery is primarily concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of surgical diseases of children, and differs from general surgery in that it is an age defined surgical specialty instead of an anatomically defined specialty. Pediatric surgeons are usually trained in the management of general surgical disease of children but also in the treatment of thoracic, head and neck, urologic, and other surgical diseases, whereas most “adult” surgical specialist tend to be confined to the abdomen, chest, or other organ systems alone. As such, pediatric surgery covers a very broad spectrum of disorders and requires one to be familiar with the various organ systems and body areas. On top of this, children are not “little adults”, and their pathophysiologic response to disease frequently differs dramatically from that in adults. The study of pediatric surgery is often overlooked in medical school but is of significant importance to all physicians, especially those who plan a career in the primary care specialties. Surgical disorders in children are common, and a working familiarity with these disorders will greatly benefit the primary care physician as well as his or her patients. This monograph discusses the more common surgical disorders of infants and children. A more thorough discussion can be found in the various pediatric surgical texts; two popular and useful texts are: