Pediatrics

Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition

A child's digestive complaints can range from common stomachaches to more serious problems that require expert care. At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, our pediatric digestive care 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 — through a comprehensive understanding of how a digestive disease affects not only his or her health, but also its impact on his or her 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.

A Team Approach

Our multidisciplinary team — one of the only dedicated pediatric digestive care teams in Queens — includes pediatric gastroenterologists, pathologists, radiologists, speech/swallowing therapists, nutritionists, and nurses who collaborate with general pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists, and adult gastroenterologists. We bring together all of the healthcare providers your child needs to get better. You can often see one of our pediatric gastroenterologists within 24 hours of your call.

Whom We Treat

Our pediatric digestive specialists 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

Onsite Diagnostic Testing

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 ERCP, small bowel enteroscopy, and specialized motility testing.

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 his or her risk of liver disease, heart disease, and other problems that can result 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 biologic medications. We help young patients with IBD keep their disease in check, so they can continue to live full lives throughout childhood, adolescence, and beyond. We teach the tools and skills that will help your child advocate for his or her 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 that is right for your child. We collaborate with pediatric surgeons to perform tube placement as well as 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 best type of feeding tube for your child.

Care for Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation of the small intestine 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 nutrients from food, which can result 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.

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 as well as resources to help you understand your child's illness and to enable you to actively participate in your child's care.