Paediatric and adolescent surgery
Our activities include highly specialised surgical care, with an emphasis on life-threatening and rare neonatal malformations of the urinary tract, stomach, intestinal tract, and some rare tumours. We also perform planned general surgery on children from Södra sjukvårdsregionen (the Swedish Southern Healthcare Region) and emergency general surgery on children from Lund.
Our clinics and departments
The Department of paediatric and adolescent surgery in Lund cares for critically ill infants who require constant monitoring before and after surgery, in a shared room. The department also provides care for other children before and after surgery, as well as performing necessary observations for children and young people suffering from acute illnesses. Besides surgery, the department also offers several specialised beds for other areas of paediatric care.
At the paediatric durgery clinic, specially trained nurses run dedicated clinics for gastrostomy care, urotherapy, stoma therapy, and certain paediatric cases. The clinic also prepares children for X-ray examinations, which may involve the insertion of a catheter or administering anaesthesia via a needle.
In paediatric medicine, we have access to a paediatric surgical department and a paediatric intensive care unit, and we regularly perform surgeries using robot-assisted technology. Many minor surgical procedures are carried out as day procedures, allowing patients to return home the same day.
Quality register
All children who undergo paediatric surgery are monitored via quality registers at a local, national, and/or international level, enabling us to improve care in both the short and long term.
Collaboration with other clinics and departments at the hospital
Premature babies with malformations requiring surgery are cared for in the neonatal departments and managed jointly by neonatologists and paediatric surgeons.
We also provide prenatal advice to obstetricians, participate in interdisciplinary tumour, gastroenterology, and urological conferences, and train ST doctors, interns, and nurses through lectures and practical supervision.
The Centre for paediatric cardiac surgery, one of two centres in Sweden providing highly specialised care for children with congenital heart defects, operates in the same unit as paediatric surgery. This patient group often requires paediatric surgical consultations and, at times, paediatric surgical procedures. Therefore, a facility for performing daily thoracic surgical procedures is available in the same department as paediatric surgery, along with a paediatric intensive care unit where these children are treated.
Research
Research at the Department of paediatric and adolescent surgery is conducted in close collaboration with families and patients. Our research projects take place both within the facility in Lund and as part of national and international collaborations with paediatric surgery clinics across Sweden, the Nordic region, and Europe.
These research projects are often conducted in partnership with institutions such as Lund University, the Faculty of Engineering (LTH) at Lund University, and Malmö University.
Research into congenital malformations
We conduct research to identify the most effective surgical methods and treatments for children and young people with congenital malformations. This includes studying physical function, quality of life, and advancements in diagnostic and surgical technology.
Current research into congenital malformations includes:
- Anorectal malformations and anal atresia (anal opening missing or incorrectly positioned)
- Hirschsprung’s disease (absence of nerves in parts of the intestine)
- Oesophageal atresia (where the oesophagus does not develop properly)
- Gastrointestinal and urinary tract function in children with and without malformations
- Heritability of various congenital malformations
- Quality of life and sexual health as perceived by young adults
- Genital malformations in girls and boys
- Laboratory studies investigating the lungs in cases of diaphragmatic hernia
- Medical and technological research
In addition to research into congenital malformations, we also study:
- Robot-assisted surgery for young children
- Surgery and pain relief in newborns and premature babies
- Global health, including partnerships with clinics in developing countries
We are also collaborating with the Department of child and family health and reproductive health at Lund University to reduce the time children spend in hospital after surgery. This project explores opportunities for communication at home via electronic tablets.