Department of Pediatric Surgery - Charite University Hospital Berlin

About the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Charite University Hospital Berlin

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the Charite University Hospital Berlin is ranked among the best medical facilities in Germany in its field of expertise!

The department offers a wide range of surgical interventions for the treatment of various diseases in children, including newborns. The department's specialists have mastered modern surgical techniques, striving to provide young patients with the most effective and safe treatment. Here, surgeries are performed on newborns and premature infants with congenital defects and acquired diseases, children with general pathologies, anorectal malformations, diseases of the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, pathologies of the lungs, endocrine system, vascular malformations, oncological diseases, and urological pathologies. The department's surgical team also provides qualified care to children with injuries, burns, and malformations of the hand and foot. A large proportion of surgical interventions are performed using minimally invasive techniques, which allows for extremely rapid recovery of the child in the postoperative period, eliminating the need for prolonged hospitalization. Children are operated on in high-tech operating rooms with the latest generation equipment. The department's surgeons work in close collaboration with all related pediatric departments of the Charite University Hospital Berlin – this contributes to comprehensive treatment of the highest level. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Steven Warmann.

Young patients receive care from an experienced medical team that includes highly qualified pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, nurses, and physiotherapists. The specialists not only ensure excellent quality of medical care but also provide a warm and attentive environment, creating a friendly atmosphere in the department. For complex cases, treatment decisions are made through multidisciplinary team meetings where the team collaboratively reviews the child's diagnostic data and determines the optimal approach. The department's surgeons maintain open communication with children and parents, providing comprehensive information about planned procedures and expected outcomes.

Surgical treatment is carried out in both inpatient and outpatient settings, depending on the complexity of the clinical case. Before surgery, the young patient undergoes a comprehensive examination: clinical assessment, laboratory diagnostics, ultrasound, and imaging studies. Prior to surgery and immediately before it begins, the medical team performs premedication – administering medications to reduce anxiety and fear in the child. The department employs highly qualified anesthesiologists who individually select the optimal type of anesthesia: inhalation or injection, local or general. After surgery, the child is transferred to a specialized postoperative recovery ward under the supervision of dedicated doctors and nursing staff. At this stage, one of the parents is allowed to stay with the young patient.

When possible, operations are performed using gentle minimally invasive techniques that ensure rapid recovery of the young patient. Such interventions are performed using high-precision instruments and modern equipment. The key advantage of minimally invasive operations is the absence of large and traumatic incisions – surgical access is provided through 2-3 miniature skin incisions through which thin instruments with built-in tiny video cameras are inserted. Images of the operating field are magnified and transmitted to a monitor in real-time. This allows the clinic's surgeons to clearly see the smallest anatomical structures and virtuosically perform the necessary surgical manipulations.

Over the years of work, an impressive number of operations have been performed in the department, giving children with complex diseases and developmental defects a chance for a full life. Today, the clinic is deservedly considered a leading center for pediatric surgery in Germany with consistently high rates of treatment success. This is due to the exceptional competence and rich experience of the department's surgeons. For the impeccable level of service for young patients, the department has been awarded prestigious quality certificates, including the certificate of the German Society of Burn Medicine (DGV), the certificate of the International Society for the Treatment of Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI), the certificate of the Joint Committee on Pediatric Urology (JCPU), the eUROGEN certificate, and the IQM certificate.

The main areas of specialization of the department include:

• Neonatal surgery
  • Operations for atresia of various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including esophageal atresia
  • Operations for abdominal wall defects: gastroschisis, omphalocele
  • Operations for diaphragmatic hernia
  • Operations for intestinal duplication
  • Operations for anorectal malformations, including Hirschsprung's disease and anal atresia
  • Operations for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
  • Operations for hemangiomas
  • Operations for lymphangiomas
  • Operations for acute abdomen in premature infants
• Pediatric abdominal surgery
  • Operations for diseases of the intestines, liver, bile ducts, pancreas, spleen, and other organs of the gastrointestinal tract
  • Operations for abdominal tumors
  • Appendectomy
  • Cholecystectomy
  • Splenectomy
  • Nissen fundoplication
• Pediatric endocrine surgery
  • Operations for thyroid diseases
  • Operations for congenital hyperinsulinism
• Pediatric thoracic surgery
  • Minimally invasive thoracoplasty for funnel chest and pigeon chest deformities
  • Thoracoscopic interventions for inflammations and tumors of the lungs and pleura
  • Thoracoscopic interventions for lung pathologies: lung cysts, lung malformations, lung sequestration
• Pediatric oncological surgery
  • Operations for malignant tumors of all localizations, particularly in the area of the abdomen, kidneys, adrenal glands, pancreas, lungs
  • Operations for benign neoplasms: lymphangiomas, hemangiomas, skin tumors
• Pediatric urology
  • Operations for urethral malformations: hypospadias, epispadias
  • Operations for vesicoureteral reflux
  • Operations for phimosis
  • Operations for urethral valves
  • Operations for adrenogenital syndrome
  • Urinary diversion
  • Laparoscopic urethroplasty
  • Laparoscopic nephrectomy/heminephrectomy
• Pediatric traumatology
  • Operations for fractures
  • Operations for burn injuries
• Pediatric hand surgery
  • Operations for congenital hand deformities: syndactyly, polydactyly, hexadactyly
  • Operations for acquired hand deformities: contractures after burns, deformities after injuries
• Pediatric foot surgery
  • Operations for flat feet
  • Operations for clubfoot
  • Operations for partial or complete absence of the foot
  • Operations for congenital defects of the toes: polydactyly, syndactyly, and oligodactyly
• Pediatric vascular surgery
  • Operations for vascular malformations
• Other surgical services