Pediatric Gastroenterology

Overview

Comprehensive Approaches to Pediatric Digestive Diseases

A child’s digestive complaints can range from common stomachaches to serious problems requiring expert care. At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, our Pediatric Gastroenterology team addresses the specialized needs of infants, children, and adolescents with gastrointestinal disorders from birth through the 22nd birthday. We work together to take care of the “whole” child — your child. We do this through a comprehensive understanding of how a digestive disease affects their health and its impact on their daily life (and yours as well). As we work to diagnose and treat your child, we strive for a collaborative relationship that fosters health and healing.

About Our Program

At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, the Pediatric Gastroenterology program focuses on the specialized needs of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with digestive disorders. Our pediatric gastroenterologists and specialists from NewYork-Presbyterian & Weill Cornell Medicine are at the forefront of advances in diagnosing and treating children’s digestive diseases. Through our multidisciplinary approach, we provide access to some of the nation’s best doctors and advanced therapies for children of all ages.

Our multidisciplinary team of pediatric gastroenterologists, pathologists, radiologists, speech/swallowing therapists, registered dieticians, and nurses work with general pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists, and adult gastroenterologists to provide the most comprehensive and advanced approaches to diagnosing and treating children’s digestive diseases. We collaborate to understand your child’s illness, evaluate all relevant treatment options, and develop a fully integrated, coordinated plan of care.

Nutritional counseling is a key component of care for children with digestive disorders. At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, registered dietitians work closely with pediatric gastroenterologists and other members of our digestive disorders teams to identify the nutritional needs of each child in our care. Through personalized assessments and consultations, we can help your child establish a healthy lifestyle to grow and flourish during critical phases of their development.

Our goal is to take care of your child as a whole person — including comprehensive medical treatment and addressing how a digestive disorder may affect the patient and the family. As we work to improve your child’s health, we strive to create a safe and comforting environment in partnership with you that promotes understanding and healing. You can often see one of our pediatric gastroenterologists within 24 hours of your call.

What We Treat

Our pediatric gastroenterologists care for young patients with:

• Abdominal pain
• Constipation
• Gastrointestinal bleeding/blood in the stool
• Diarrhea/vomiting/nausea
• Pediatric lipid disorders, such as high cholesterol and high triglycerides
• Liver disease, including fatty liver disease and hepatitis
• Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis)
• Disorders of the pancreas
• Eosinophilic esophagitis
• Feeding problems
• Celiac disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome

Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis is the first step to ensuring your child receives the most effective care. There are a number of medical tests that can be used to determine what is causing your child’s symptoms. At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, patients have on-site access to:

• Endoscopy
• Colonoscopy
• Capsule endoscopy
• Magnetic resonance enterography
• Liver biopsies

Through collaboration with our onsite advanced endoscopy team and other New York-Presbyterian sites, we also provide coordinated access to more advanced tests such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), small bowel enteroscopy, and specialized motility testing.

Special Programs

A Focus on Pediatric Lipid Disorders

Lipid disorders include high cholesterol and high triglycerides, which can run in families. If your child has a lipid disorder, our team can provide specialized care that includes laboratory and genetic testing to detect familial hypercholesterolemia (inherited very high cholesterol), nutritional counseling from a registered dietitian, medication as needed (such as statins), and management of obesity. Our goal is to reduce your child’s lipids to normal levels and lower their risk of liver disease, heart disease, and other problems resulting from high lipids.

Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

If your child has Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, we provide treatment, including infusions of biological medications. We help young patients with IBD keep their disease in check, so they can live full lives throughout childhood, adolescence, and beyond. We teach the tools and skills to help your child advocate for their health.

Feeding Support

Children experiencing feeding and swallowing issues require a thorough evaluation to tailor their treatment and nutritional plan. Some children with feeding issues and certain neuromuscular diseases experience poor weight gain and may need a feeding tube to get the nutrients they need.

We work closely with feeding therapists, pediatric radiologists, and pediatric pulmonologists (lung specialists) to provide the most comprehensive medical care right for your child. We collaborate with pediatric surgeons to perform tube placement, feeding therapists, and registered dietitians to ensure your child’s nutritional needs are met. We will also partner with families to determine the best feeding times and the best type of feeding tube for your child.

Care for Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes small intestine inflammation when a person eats food with gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye). Celiac disease can cause a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms and discomfort. It prevents children from effectively absorbing food nutrients, resulting in malnutrition and poor growth. If we determine your child has celiac disease, we will connect you with a registered dietitian who will help you and your child plan and adhere to a gluten-free diet. With dietary changes and close monitoring, it is possible to stop and even reverse damage to the intestine caused by celiac disease, ensuring a healthier future for your child.

Our Approach to Care

Holistic and Comprehensive Care

At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, we recognize that every child with a digestive disorder has a unique set of symptoms, circumstances and needs. We take a holistic approach to care that considers the entire patient, including their physical, emotional, and social factors. We partner with patients and their families in shared decision-making, empowering them with knowledge, support, and the most effective treatment options to achieve the best possible outcome for every child.

Partnering with Families

When your child has a digestive disorder, your entire family is affected. We are committed to working closely with you through each step of the treatment process — providing support and resources to help you understand your child’s illness and actively participate in your child’s care.

A Multidisciplinary Team Approach

Our multidisciplinary team includes pediatric gastroenterologists, pathologists, radiologists, speech/swallowing therapists, nutritionists, and nurses collaborating with general pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists, and adult gastroenterologists. We bring together all the healthcare providers your child needs to improve.

Parents As Team Members

As a parent, only you can provide important information about your child. You can also help other team members shape your child’s personalized treatment program based on your child’s physical, emotional, and practical needs. Your input is critical for making final decisions regarding your child’s care. Our multidisciplinary team is here to work alongside you and your family to achieve your child's best possible outcomes.

Why Choose Us

Expertise in Pediatric Gastrointestinal Disorders

NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children Hospital and the NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns is a major referral centers for complex and rare gastrointestinal disorders in infants and children. Here, physicians and pediatric surgeons treat the full spectrum of gastrointestinal disorders in older children. This includes diagnosing and treating gastroesophageal reflux disease, intestinal motility disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular diseases in children, hepatobiliary disorders, and malrotation.

Seamless Access to World-Class Medical Experts

NewYork-Presbyterian Queens is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian & Weill Cornell Medicine, an Ivy League medical school that is among the nation’s best in patient care, medical education, and research. We offer many highly specialized services typically found in an academic medical center, but without the commute to Manhattan and in the comfortable setting of a local community hospital. Your child has access to the world-class resources available through our affiliations with the NewYork-Presbyterian healthcare network, ensuring that they receive the most advanced care close to home.

Affiliated with Nationally Ranked Children’s Hospitals

NewYork-Presbyterian Queens offers young patients seamless access to two renowned children’s hospitals, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. Both hospitals are among the nation’s leading centers for diagnosing and treating childhood diseases. They are major referral centers for complex and rare disorders in infants, children, and adolescents.

5-Star Quality Rating

NewYork-Presbyterian Queens has received the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 5-star Quality rating, becoming the only hospital in Queens to achieve this recognition. This prestigious rating reflects our unwavering commitment to provide patients with the highest level of quality patient care.