Pediatric Orthopaedics

Overview

The Mass General for Children Orthopaedics Service provides clinical care to infants, children and adolescents, from birth to college age, for the entire spectrum of musculoskeletal problems.

For almost a century, we have helped thousands of orthopaedic patients and today we treat the largest number of traumas, sports-medicine-related injuries and musculoskeletal tumors of any facility in New England. We have earned an outstanding reputation for successfully caring for patients who are often considered untreatable by others.

Comprehensive Services

We treat all facets of a child’s skeletal health, including:

• Trauma and fractures
• Sports and performance injuries
• Other acquired injuries

We have expertise in the management of inborn problems, such as:

• Spinal deformities
• Hip and foot anomalies
• Growth disorders and developmental delay
• Metabolic disorders, including rickets and Blount’s disease
• Neuromuscular disorders, ranging from cerebral palsy to muscular dystrophy

Our surgical expertise includes state-of-the-art techniques in:

• Foot and hip reconstruction
• Limb lengthening
• Spinal reconstruction
• Tendon transfers and muscular reconstruction
• Sports medicine procedures
• Skeletal trauma care

By working together in multidisciplinary teams, we achieve outstanding results in the diagnosis and treatment of various orthopaedic conditions:

• In conjunction with the Orthopaedic Oncology Service, we offer treatment for benign malignant tumors and neoplasms of bone and connective tissue
• With our colleagues in the Orthopaedic Hand & Arm Service, we care for a wide range of hand and upper extremity deformities
• Working with the nearby Shriners Hospitals for Children - Boston, we treat all orthopaedic manifestations of acute and chronic burns

In caring for our patients, we have access to some of the most advanced imaging capabilities in the world. Our light-speed CT scan eliminates the need for sedation 95 percent of the time, minimizing the time needed to assess a child’s condition and start appropriate care. In addition to standard CT and MRI, we offer PET (positron emission tomography) scanning for looking at the body’s biochemical functions, functional MRI for providing 3D structural and functional imaging, and special, high-resolution MRI scanning for furnishing exquisite anatomical views. Mass General for Children has the first FDA-approved intraoperative MRI, which has axial imaging that allows our surgeons to operate through the smallest hole possible and provides views from many angles during an operation in order to attain maximum tumor resection.

Ongoing Research

Our large patient population provides us the opportunity to observe, study, learn and discover new knowledge to advance the field of orthopaedics. Recent innovations include:

• New materials and technologies for total hip and knee replacement
• Innovative approaches to the treatment of bone cancers
• Novel treatments for athletic injuries

Working in collaboration with colleagues in the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Organ Fabrication, we are exploring a number of orthopaedic applications for the utility of patient-derived stem cells in treating Legg Calve Perthes disease, a major cause of premature arthritis in children and young adults. We are also investigating the utility of multi-detector CT scans in improving diagnostic capabilities in a host of injuries to the immature elbow.

We continue a tradition of research into the causes and prevention of injuries sustained by children as a result of trauma. To this end, we have recently received grant funding to develop a comprehensive database for our pediatric trauma and non-trauma patients, giving us the ultimate ability to prospectively study treatment outcomes for all of our patients.

Multidisciplinary Care

At Mass General for Children, we provide a team approach that is comprehensive, compassionate and personalized. Physicians, certified nurse practitioners, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, research scientists and technicians work together to formulate the best treatment program for each child. An attending orthopaedic surgeon heads each child’s team, and, with input from the family and referring health care provider, develops and manages an individualized plan of care. The team can immediately call upon any needed pediatric subspecialists and resources, including a brace and orthotic service.

Family-Centered

We respect that the family is the center of the child’s life and welcome families to participate in every aspect of the child’s care. To help parents feel confident in making informed decisions, education is a cornerstone of our care. In addition to holding one-on-one discussions with patients and their families, we also have multiple information booklets as well as a website that describes in detail various orthopedic conditions.

Patient Resources

View the full collection of patient resources from Pediatric Orthopaedics at MGfC.