Cincinnati Children’s is launching an Interventional Endoscopy Center that will expand its existing portfolio of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic capabilities. These advanced techniques are available at only a limited number of pediatric institutions nationally and include:

• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided procedures, such as diagnostic EUS and biopsies of sub-epithelial lesions, pancreas, liver or intra-abdominal masses. Therapeutic EUS is available, including cystogastrostomy.
• Double- and single-balloon enteroscopy and double-balloon endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which allows deep enteral access. These are particularly helpful for patients with altered post-surgical anatomy, those with polyps in the small intestine, and any patient with internal bleeding that is not accessible via conventional endoscopic techniques.

The procedures are part of the hospital’s well-established endoscopy service, led by pediatric interventional endoscopists Tom K. Lin, MD, and David Vitale, MD. Lin and Vitale also provide traditional ERCP; endoscopic mucosal resection of large polyps, endoluminal wound vacuum therapy for the treatment of fistulas, leaks and perforations; stricture dilation and needle knife therapy; intestinal and esophageal stent placement; and insertion of advanced feeding tubes, such as gastrojejunal and nasojejunal tubes.

Plans for the center include a dedicated fluoroscopy suite and offering bariatric endoscopy, a minimally invasive approach to weight loss surgery.

“Pediatric advanced and interventional endoscopy is a burgeoning field that offers many advantages compared to the traditional approach of relying on adult gastroenterologists to provide care for children and adolescents,” says Lin. “As the region’s only children’s hospital with two pediatric interventional endoscopists, Cincinnati Children’s is further establishing itself as a destination center for children who can benefit from these endoscopic techniques.”

Cincinnati Children’s has one of the highest volumes of pediatric endoscopy procedures in the country. Interventional endoscopy procedures almost doubled in 2021 compared to the previous year. Last year, Lin and Vitale performed more than 190 ERCP procedures.

“Many adult conditions that call for ERCP or EUS involve malignancies, whereas for children there are a wide variety of conditions, including congenital issues, requiring care from pediatric specialists with different training and expertise,” says Vitale. “Our experience and advanced technologies allow Tom and I to do these procedures for children of all ages, even newborns.”

For more information or to refer a patient, contact the Interventional Endoscopy Center at 513-803-3600 or intec.endoscopy@cchmc.org.

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