Pediatric Health & Diseases

Yeditepe University Hospital Department of Pediatric Health and Diseases offers patients a holistic combination of the concepts of ‘the latest in science, the most advanced n technology’ together with close human interest and compassion.

Patients are carefully evaluated in the safe knowledge and sense of responsibility associated with a university hospital, by experienced members of faculty. Following warm and sympathetic consultations with the child and their family, a physical examination is carried out in a comforting environment. The necessary laboratory and radiological tests are then performed taking full advantage of all the possibilities and innovations of science and technology.

Children are treated in private inpatient wards designed to make them feel at home, accompanied by their parents. During their treatment and observation by faculty members, patients are attended by highly trained, cheerful and experienced nurses.

The Pediatric Health and Diseases Department has sub-units composed of specialists in their individual fields. The Gastroenterology, Allergy, Cardiology and Neonatal units all deliver a high level of healthcare service within the same philosophy of science combined with compassion.

Yeditepe University Hospital Department of Pediatric Health and Diseases offers patients a holistic combination of the concepts of ‘the latest in science, the most advanced n technology’ together with close human interest and compassion.

• allergy skin tests,
  
• blood allergy tests,
• pulmonary function tests,
  
• allergen provocation testing,
  
• food testing,
  
• anesthetic drug tests,
  

The department diagnoses and treats conditions including:

• asthma,
  
• allergic bronchitis,
  
• allergic rhinitis (hay fever),
  
• atopic dermatitis (eczema),
  
• urticaria (hives),
  
• food allergies,
• drug allergies (anesthetic allergy),
  
• chronic cough,
  
• wheezing infants syndrome,
  
• frequently recurring respiratory infections,
  
• allergic skin rash and allergy vaccine therapy.

A highly experienced team composed of neonatal doctors and trained nurses at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit monitor prematurely born babies and babies who have developed problems after birth.

A team of experienced specialists at Yeditepe University Hospital’s Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition diagnoses and treats conditions of the stomach, duodenum, small and large intestines, liver, and gall bladder at all stages of infancy and childhood up to the age of 18, in a unit fully equipped using the most advanced technology and devices.

Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition diagnoses and treats conditions of the stomach, duodenum, small and large intestines, liver, and gall bladder at all stages of infancy and childhood up to the age of 18, in a unit fully equipped using the most advanced technology and devices.

As Yeditepe University Hospital, our aim is to treat pediatric surgery cases in a contemporary, compassionate and flawless manner using all the tools of advanced technology and caring specialists.

The first thing we always need to bear in mind is that children are not just miniature copies of adults. On the contrary, children have unique anatomic, physiologic and psychological characteristics. Pediatric surgery is a creative and dynamic branch of surgery based on this awareness. The most crucial aspect of pediatric surgery, which works in a multidisciplinary manner with other branches of medicine, is an ability to establish close contact with the child and his or her family.

The Pediatric Surgery Department at Yeditepe University Hospital carries out polyclinic monitoring and treatment for surgical issues relating to the digestive system, urinary tract, chest cavity and heart in patients from the pre-natal stage to the age of 18. As well as open surgery procedures, the department performs various non-surgical endoscopic and laparoscopic interventions.

In addition, the department treats frequently occurring congenital spina bifida cases that require surgery, issues such as bedwetting, and specialized polyclinic services in conjunction with other branches. Most pediatric surgical cases are carried out on the same day, without the need for hospitalization.

The main surgical procedures carried out at the department are:

• inguinal hernia,
  
• hydrocele,
  
• undescended testes,
  
• circumcision,
  
• catheter insertion
  
• procedures such as endoscopy
  

Children can return home 2 or 3 hours after such surgery; special pain relief medication ensures that they do not experience undue post-op pain in the hospital or at home. As well as addressing neonatal anomalies requiring surgical correction, the pediatric surgery department works closely with Yeditepe’s childbirth team, neonatal intensive care doctors and pediatric experts in monitoring anomalies detected in the womb, as well as diagnostic and treatment interventions carried out in the womb.

In addition to this, pediatric surgeons are on hand for consultation in neonatal intensive care cases when required. Babies are monitored and cared for by specialist doctors and nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit after surgery. Surgical interventions to treat congenital anomalies that emerge later in childhood from the esophagus to the entire gastro – intestinal tract as far as the anus, appendicitis, suddenly occurring pathologies such as stomach and intestinal perforations, liver and biliary tract conditions, gallstones and enlarged spleens generally associated with blood diseases, are performed by pediatric surgeons. Moreover, procedures in cases such as congenital and non-congenital childhood lung and respiratory issues and the urgent removal of foreign bodies from the esophagus, are carried out by specialist pediatric surgeons.

Surgical and endoscopic interventions are also carried out by pediatric surgeons specializing in pediatric urology. These include congenital conditions such as cystic kidney diseases, congestion and widening of the urinary tracts, urinary leakage into the kidneys, bladder abnormalities, penile abnormalities, and the absence of the urinary opening, as well as later-developing conditions such as stones and trauma. Pediatric oncologists and surgeons are also specially trained to treat tumors that develop during childhood in the lung, liver and gastro-intestinal system, lymph nodes, kidneys, bladder and soft tissue. These specialists administer pre- and post-operative care as well as performing surgical treatments within in multidisciplinary approach. Finally, pediatric surgeons perform surgical tumor removal procedures such as port insertion and facilitative services during the medication stage of treatment.

Talking to us about inguinal (groin) hernias, which are more prevalent in premature or overweight births, the Head of Yeditepe University Hospital Pediatric Surgery Department Prof. Dr. Selami Sözübir says “A first class hospital is a must for the successful surgical treatment of inguinal hernias.” Explaining that the groin region is the part of the body most commonly subject to pediatric surgical procedures, Professor Sözübir states that of these operations, inguinal hernia repair is the most frequently performed procedure of all.

“Inguinal hernias afflict about 3% of boys. Cases occur most frequently in premature births or when the baby is born overweight. As the testes complete their development in the mother’s womb, they descend from their original position in the abdomen to take their proper place in the scrotum. This movement begins around the 3rd month and is completed close to the time of birth. The testes pass through the inguinal canal as they emerge from the abdomen. This canal normally closes and loses its function with the birth of the child. However, in the event that one or two of these canals fails to close, a hernia develops. If the open canal is wide, it can lead to herniated abdominal organs, or more commonly herniated bowels. This is what an inguinal is all about. Swelling may occur in the groin or the scrotum. Rather than pain, it leads to discomfort and sometimes to feelings of nausea.”

The Yeditepe University Hospital Pediatric Chest Diseases department serves in the diagnosis and treatment of lung problems such as cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, recurrent pneumonia, chronic lung disease, and preterm Broncho pulmonary dysplasia, as well as bronchiectasis, long-lasting coughs, recurrent croup (laryngo-tracheo bronchitis), interstitial lung disease, and sleep problems.

After completing a university medical faculty course and a 5-year specialist training program in Pediatric Health and Diseases, our Pediatric Chest Diseases specialists continued further specialist programs in pediatric chest diseases for at least three years, before passing exams to qualify as specialists in Pediatric Pulmonology.

For the accurate diagnosis and treatment of children, it is essential that tests and examinations are carried out by qualified experts.

Radiology is very important in the diagnosis of pediatric chest diseases. Our hospital’s excellence in the field is attributable to having the most advanced technology in radiology equipment and highly experienced specialists to interpret test X-rays and images.

• Pulmonary Function Tests
  
• Sweat test
  
• Cystic Fibrosis Genetic Analysis
  
• High-tech radiology unit (CT, MRI, CT angiography, virtual bronchoscopy, etc.)
  
• Our Nuclear Medicine Department plays a supporting role in the diagnosis of pediatric chest diseases and differential diagnostics.
  

Respiratory function tests are conducted on children over the age of 6. These tests are important in the diagnosis of lung diseases.

The sweat test is carried out to determine the existence of cystic fibrosis. This is especially important in terms of the early diagnosis and treatment of this congenital disease.