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Glossary

A

Analgesic: Any type of medicine that is used to reduce pain.
Antibiotics: Medicines that fight infections caused by bacteria.

B

Biopsy: A process in which a small piece of tissue is removed from your child. A biopsy helps surgeons and other doctors diagnose your child's condition. For example, to find out if a tumor is cancerous or not, they remove a small piece of tissue from the tumor. A doctor called a pathologist looks at it under a microscope. The pathologist determines the type of cells present and makes a diagnosis.
Board certified: All of Children's surgeons are board certified in both general surgery and pediatric surgery by the American Board of Surgery, which is the certifying organization for all surgeons in the United States. To be board certified in pediatric surgery, doctors are required to receive 5 full years training in adult general surgery and pass the written and oral board certification tests for general surgery; then, they must spend an additional 2 years training in pediatric surgery, conduct pediatric research for up to 3 years and pass the written and oral board certification tests for pediatric surgery.; To keep their board certification in pediatric surgery, doctors must pass oral and written exams every 10 years.

C

Colostomy: A surgery in which the surgeon creates a small opening (stoma) in the belly. The surgeon cuts through the large intestine (colon), and then brings the upper part of the intestine to the stoma and attaches it. This allows waste to come out of the body into a pouch attached on the outside.
Computed tomography (CT) scan: An X-ray that produces cross-sectional pictures of the body. The pictures are like slices in a loaf of bread. Each picture shows one "slice," or portion, of the body. These allow doctors to see the inside of your child's body and to diagnose and understand some illnesses or injuries.
Congenital: Refers to disorders and medical conditions present at birth. They may be noticed before birth (prenatal), at birth or even many years later. Causes of congenital disorders include genetic abnormalities or something that happens during pregnancy, such as the mother smoking or drinking alcohol. Congenital disorders range from birthmarks to heart and brain problems.

D

Developmental pharmacology: The science of understanding the medical effects of medicines.

E

Echocardiogram: An ultrasound picture of the heart. It can show the direction of blood flow and define the structure of the heart.

G

Gastrostomy: A surgery in which the surgeon makes an opening through the wall of your child's belly and places a tube or a device called a button that goes to your child's stomach. This provides a safe way to give your child nutrition (and medicine, if needed) if they cannot feed by mouth. A gastrostomy is one type of feeding tube.
General anesthesia: A substance given to make your child unconscious and unable to feel anything anywhere in their body.

I

Ileostomy: A surgery in which the surgeon creates a small opening (stoma) in the belly. The surgeon cuts through the small intestine, and then brings the upper part of the intestine (ileum) to the stoma and attaches it. This allows waste to come out of the body into a pouch attached on the outside.
Intravenous (IV): "IV" is short for "intravenous," which means "into a vein." When doctors talk about IVs, they often mean IV lines or needles that deliver medicines, fluids and nutrients directly to your child's bloodstream.

K

Ketorolac: A type of pain medicine used to reduce moderate pain. It is in the class of pain relievers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories because it reduces chemicals that cause inflammation and pain in the body.

L

Laparoscopic surgery: An operation in which the surgeon makes small "keyhole" incisions (cuts) in the belly and inserts thin metal sleeves, or tubes, called trocars through these incisions. The trocars allow surgeons to insert a small video camera and surgical instruments for the procedure. During a laparoscopic surgery, your child's belly is filled with carbon dioxide (CO2). This creates a space or a bubble in which to do surgery. Surgery is performed by watching a TV monitor and moving the surgical instruments from outside of your child's body.; The advantage of this technique is that surgeons don't need to cut through as much tissue as when they make a longer incision using traditional "open" surgery. This means your child will have a smaller scar and is likely to recover faster after surgery with less pain — and less need for narcotic pain killers that may have unpleasant side effects. In addition, children who have minimally invasive surgeries typically have shorter hospital stays. Laparoscopic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery.; Learn more about laparoscopic surgery (PDF 36KB).

M

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A process that creates high-quality pictures of the inside of the body. An MRI uses a large magnet to create these pictures and avoids the use of radiation.
Minimally invasive surgery: An operation that requires a smaller incision (cut) or incisions than traditional "open" surgery. The advantage of this kind of surgery is that surgeons don't need to cut through as much tissue as when they make a longer incision using traditional surgery. This means your child will have a smaller scar and is likely to recover faster after surgery with less pain — and less need for narcotic pain killers that may have unpleasant side effects. In addition, children who have minimally invasive surgeries typically have shorter hospital stays. Laparoscopy, robot-assisted laparoscopy or thoracoscopy are all types of minimally invasive surgery.
Morphine: A type of pain medicine that is used to reduce moderate to severe pain. It is in the class of pain relievers called narcotics because it is extracted from the opium poppy.

N

Neonatologist: A doctor specially trained to handle complex and high-risk health problems in newborns.

R

Regional anesthesia: A substance given to block feeling in different parts of your child's body during and after surgery. This type of nerve block allows a lighter level of general anesthesia to be used during surgery. It also reduces your child's stress response to surgery, and allows them to recover without the stress of pain.; Regional anesthesia can be given through a single shot before surgery or delivered continuously through a catheter after surgery. A single-shot nerve block provides many hours of pain relief after surgery, while the catheter blocks nerve pain until it is removed.
Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery: An operation in which the surgeon performs laparoscopic surgery while sitting at a console a few feet away from the patient and looking at a video monitor through binocular-like lenses. Using hand and foot pedals, the surgeon's movements are translated into real-time actions of three robotic arms — one holds a camera/fiber-optic light and the other two arms hold tiny instruments at their tips. The advantage of this technique over conventional laparoscopic surgery is that the robotic arms give surgeons more degrees of motion than the human wrist, which allows them to perform procedures that require very intricate maneuvers and complex suturing.; As with conventional laparoscopic surgery, your child will have a smaller scar and is likely to recover faster after surgery with less pain — and less need for narcotic pain killers that may have unpleasant side effects. In addition, children who have minimally invasive surgeries typically have shorter hospital stays. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery.

T

Thoracic: Refers to the chest.
Thoracoscopic surgery: An operation in which the surgeon makes a small incision (cut) in the chest wall and inserts a narrow tube with a light and a lens for viewing through the incision. Surgeons use thoracoscopy to examine the lungs or other structures in the chest cavity, take a tissue sample, introduce medicine into the lungs or treat fluid buildup around the lungs. The advantage of this technique is that surgeons don't need to cut through as much tissue as when they make a longer incision using traditional "open" surgery. This means your child will have a smaller scar and is likely to recover faster after surgery with less pain — and less need for narcotic pain killers that may have unpleasant side effects. In addition, children who have minimally invasive surgeries typically have shorter hospital stays. Thoracoscopic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery.

U

Ultrasound: An imaging technique that uses sound waves to detect structures within the body. A machine translates the findings of the sound waves into a picture. It is commonly used to take images of a baby in the mother's womb (prenatal ultrasound).

X

X-ray: An X-ray is a form of energy that can pass through your child's bone and tissue to create an image. The image created and the exam itself is also called an X-ray. A doctor called a radiologist looks at the image to detect and diagnose conditions in the body.