Surgery
Paediatric surgery produces life-saving and life-changing results for children and families.
Historically, our group developed as the research arm for the Department of Paediatric Surgery and Urology at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. The team is comprised of surgeons, basic scientists, research fellows and students.
Our group focuses on conditions that affect the abdominal organs (gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract), the reproductive organs, the skin (burns), and the entire body (trauma).
Our major areas of study
- Oesophageal atresia
- Duodenal atresia
- Colorectal conditions, including anorectal malformations, Hirschsprung disease and chronic constipation
- Urogenital defects, including undescended testes and disorders of sexual development
- Burn injury in children
- Major trauma in children
See our projects section for more information on our study areas.
Group Leaders
Group Members
Emerge: An eHealth Model of Care following paediatric cancer treatment
Emerge: An eHealth Model of Care following paediatric cancer treatment. This telehealth program run by specialist cancer nurses and allied and mental health professionals and offers continued support and care to patients and families via two telehealth consultations within the first 6–12 months of completing treatment.
Read more...Our projects
Our group has a wide variety of ongoing clinical and basic science projects that focus on gastrointestinal diseases, congenital and acquired urogenital anomalies, as well as the management of burns and trauma in children. We collaborate widely with researchers from the Melbourne Children’s Campus and the University of Melbourne, in addition to clinicians and scientists throughout Australia and internationally.
Our group was previously led by Professor John Hutson AO, a world leader in the clinical and scientific understanding of undescended testes and disorders of sexual differentiation. Since 2019 the Group has been co-led by Associate Professor Sebastian King and Associate Professor Warwick Teague.
Oesophageal atresia
Oesophageal atresia (OA) is the most common congenitally anomaly that affects the oesophagus. Our projects focus on the clinical outcomes for OA patients, the impact of OA on patient quality of life, and the objective measurement of oesophageal motility in OA patients using high-resolution impedance manometry.
Duodenal atresia
Duodenal atresia (DA) is a congenital bowel condition in which continuity of the duodenum is interrupted, affecting approximately 1 in every 7000 pregnancies. DA is associated with Down Syndrome in 20-30% of cases, which supports the notion of a genetic cause for DA in humans, but the cause of DA remains unknown. Our project is investigating possible genetic causes of DA, and brings together the experience of human cases, and mouse models, as well as moving forward into organoid model systems.
Colorectal conditions
Congenital colorectal conditions (anorectal malformation, Hirschsprung disease) affect thousands of patients internationally each year. The impacts of these conditions may be life-long, and patients require specialised care throughout their childhood and into adulthood. Our projects focus on the long-term outcomes for patients, the psychological impact of these conditions on patients and families, the use of novel imaging techniques to analyse the intestinal architecture of affected patients, and the use of stem cell therapies to potentially treat and cure Hirschsprung disease.
Urogenital defects
Surgery to pull the testis down is the most common operation performed in children. Undescended testes are infertile and develop cancer. The group’s studies focus on the molecules that control testicular descent and development. Professor John Hutson is a world leader in this area.
Burn injury in children
Burns are a significant and largely preventable cause of injury in children, especially younger children. Approximately one-third of children with burn injury develop problematic scarring, which is associated with long-term physical, cosmetic, and psychosocial burdens. Our group is involved in research to reduce the risk, incidence and impact of these adverse long-term outcomes.
Major trauma in children
Injury is the leading cause of death and disability in Australian children older than one year. Drawing upon the data-informed and clinical strengths of the Victorian State Trauma System, our group collaborates closely with national and international partners, to conduct projects aimed at better understanding the causes and consequences of injury in children. In particular, we focus on the epidemiology, management and prevention of severe childhood injury.
Funding
- Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
- The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Foundation
- Australian Government
- Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
- Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ)
- Australian and New Zealand Association of Paediatric Surgeons (ANZAPS)
- NSW Institute of Trauma and Injury Management (ITIM)
Collaborations
- Neonatal Research Group, Murdoch Children's
- Emergency Research, Murdoch Children's
- Department of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Royal Children's Hospital (RCH)
- Department of Emergency Medicine, RCH
- Department of Neonatal Medicine, RCH
- Department of General Medicine, RCH
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, RCH
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Melbourne
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne
- Department of Anatomy, The University of Melbourne
- Department of Health Economics, The University of Melbourne
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville, Melbourne
- Discipline of Surgery, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney
- Cleft and Craniofacial SA, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Radboud University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Featured publications
- Evans-Barns H, Swannjo J, Trajanovska M, Safe M, Hutson JM, Dinning P, King SK. Post-operative anorectal manometry in children with Hirschsprung disease: a systematic review. Neurogastro Motil 2022;34:e14311 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.14311
- Hageman I, Tien M, Trajanovska M, Corlette S, Palmer G, King SK. Peri-operative opioid use in paediatric inguinal hernia patients: a systematic review and retrospective audit of practice. J Pediatr Surg 2022;57:1249-1257 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2022.02.039
- Impact of COVID-19 on appendicitis presentations in children in Australia and New Zealand. ANZ J Surg 2022;92:736-741 DOI: 10.1111/ans.17566
- Comella A, Tan Tanny S, Hutson JM, Omari T, Teague WJ, Nataraja R, King SK. Esophageal morbidity in patients following repair of esophageal atresia: a systematic review. J Pediatr Surg 2021;56:1555-63 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.09.010
- COVIDSurg Collaborative, GlobalSurg Collaborative. SARS-CoV-2 infection and venous thromboembolism after surgery: an international prospective cohort study. Anaesthesia 2021;77:28-39 DOI:10.1111/anae.15563