Pediatric GI procedures

[bjb0403]

Im a 3rd year student interested in GI and I like peds. Are there alot of procedures they get to perform like adult GI? I know there arent many peds colon cancers but what about Chrons and UC? Im wondering if peds GI get to do as much as adult GI docs and in the same volume as far as colonoscopies, endoscopes, ERCP, etc...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ruralsurg4now]

Im a 3rd year student interested in GI and I like peds. Are there alot of procedures they get to perform like adult GI? I know there arent many peds colon cancers but what about Chrons and UC? Im wondering if peds GI get to do as much as adult GI docs and in the same volume as far as colonoscopies, endoscopes, ERCP, etc...

Check out the incidence curves for inflammatory bowel disease. They're not usually in kids. Also, not to speak for the peds people, but there's literally no way they do as much volume as adult GI. That would be a whole lot of messed up kids.

 

[NightSwim]

Check out the incidence curves for inflammatory bowel disease. They're not usually in kids. Also, not to speak for the peds people, but there's literally no way they do as much volume as adult GI. That would be a whole lot of messed up kids.

Not true. IBD is commonly seen in the pedi GI clinic given that it often presents in the 15-25yo range.

I'm a MS4 and just did a pedi GI rotation - at my hospital the GI docs had 1 day a week of procedures. This day involved only upper and lower scopes. Many upper scopes to work-up celiac disease. The peds procedures seemed less interesting than adult GI procedures because many if not most of the cases were normal by visualization. Pedi GI docs can also put in g-tubes, however I never saw this, for one because the pedi surgeons take some of these cases. GI docs in theory can do liver biopsies, but this is a very rare thing. Another procedure I saw was placing a pH probe, which we often got consulted to do in the NICU. Reading the results of capsule endoscopy is another. I bet there are a few procedures related to manometry but I can't comment on that.

If you see yourself liking small less frequent procedures, GI could be a great fit. If you love GI and really like procedures, adult GI + ERCP is a better fit. If your primary interest is procedures, go with something surgical or anesthesia.

 

[bjb0403]

Not true. IBD is commonly seen in the pedi GI clinic given that it often presents in the 15-25yo range.

I'm a MS4 and just did a pedi GI rotation - at my hospital the GI docs had 1 day a week of procedures. This day involved only upper and lower scopes. Many upper scopes to work-up celiac disease. The peds procedures seemed less interesting than adult GI procedures because many if not most of the cases were normal by visualization. Pedi GI docs can also put in g-tubes, however I never saw this, for one because the pedi surgeons take some of these cases. GI docs in theory can do liver biopsies, but this is a very rare thing. Another procedure I saw was placing a pH probe, which we often got consulted to do in the NICU. Reading the results of capsule endoscopy is another. I bet there are a few procedures related to manometry but I can't comment on that.

If you see yourself liking small less frequent procedures, GI could be a great fit. If you love GI and really like procedures, adult GI + ERCP is a better fit. If your primary interest is procedures, go with something surgical or anesthesia.

I like surgery but I don't care to do it forever. I really like the GI system and I want to do that but it just seems that peds doesn't have the same pathology you would see in adults. Did he do procedures for the whole day that one day? Were the peds GI docs doing mostly clinical work (diarrhea, constipation etc...? I'd like to work in a major City at the main hospital so hopefully that will help me see more volume and variety???

 

[ruralsurg4now]

Not true. IBD is commonly seen in the pedi GI clinic given that it often presents in the 15-25yo range.

Oh, absolutely, but adult GI have no problem in scoping a large chunk of that age range. (Well, at least the ones I knew.)

 

[Stitch]

There is no dearth of procedures for peds GI folks. They do plenty in addition to having a busy clinic. So I wouldn't worry about getting enough. You do have to be able to deal with crazy parents and crazy teens with abdominal pain and constipation, but I don't think that's too different from the adult world. I can't give you definite numbers, but I do know the endoscopy lab is busy.