Lurie Children’s is one of the only pediatric hospitals in the world home to experts in the surgical treatment and care for children with a rare disorder in which a clot forms blocking the main portal vein going into the liver. This condition is known as portal vein thrombosis, the cause of which in many cases is never determined. At Lurie Children’s, two pediatric liver experts are able to help many children with this condition avoid a liver transplant, even when their families have previously been told that is the only treatment. Today we talk with those physician-surgeons, Drs. Riccardo Superina and Caroline Lemoine.

When young patients get the devastating diagnosis of a brain tumor, their families want to know what treatment options they have to pursue. Pediatric neurosurgery specialists like Dr. Michael DeCuypere is not only trained in minimally invasive neurosurgery to remove tumors, but he is also among the few pediatric neurosurgeons in the country who is studying new ways to diagnose and treat them. We talk with him about the surgeon’s role in treating pediatric brain tumors and the potentially game-changing research he is leading now in this area.

Young patients with functional neurological complications, or problems with walking, general movement or chronic pain, can have trouble maintaining a high quality of life. Experts in this field like Dr. Jeffrey Raskin, who leads the functional neurosurgery program at Lurie Children’s, aim to provide treatment options that can help these pediatric patients and their families thrive.

Through cutting-edge treatment and surgical interventions, the Lurie Children's Liver Center goal is to improve quality of life and avoid transplant whenever possible. When transplant is the only option, our Liver Transplant Program is among the most experienced in the country. Drs. Superina and Lemoine, international authorities on pediatric liver conditions, discuss their expertise in this area.

Renowned pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Sunjay Kaushal, the division head of cardiovascular-thoracic surgery at Lurie Children's, is in addition to saving children's lives in the OR, leading research that includes clinical trials with cardiac stem cells in congenital heart disease surgery patients. He discusses the game-changing research that has already shown promising results.

Drs. Sandi Lam and Joyce Wu, renowned pediatric epilepsy specialists, share news and insight about advances in pediatric epilepsy treatment - surgical and otherwise - and the research they're doing to continue to improve care.

Drs. Michael Mongé and Philip Thrush, who lead the Heart Transplant Program at Lurie Children's, discuss the program's successful outcomes and volumes and what goes into running a premier pediatric heart transplant program.

Lurie Children's pediatric orthopedic surgeon and physician Jill Larson, MD, discusses the treatment of spine, hip and foot deformities in the neuromuscular patient population and how she integrates multidisciplinary care, quality and safety initiatives and safe uses of innovative technology in the care of pediatric patients. Also a research scientist, she discusses her clinical research and how she collaborates with colleagues to answer tough questions.