Rocky Mountain Pediatric Surgery - Denver

At Rocky Mountain Pediatric Surgery — Denver, we are committed to providing the most advanced pediatric surgical care for babies, children and teens. In our eyes, this care must be not only innovative, kid-specific and high-quality, but it also needs to be supported by a network of excellence. That’s why our highly experienced and well-respected kids' surgeons perform surgery at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver. The hospital houses the most advanced pediatric operating suites and the largest neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Colorado.

For more information about our services or to find a pediatric surgeon, please call (303) 839-6001.

Our team of board-certified, fellowship-trained physicians at Rocky Mountain Pediatric Surgery provides state-of-the-art surgical procedures carefully crafted to meet the specific needs of children and teens. For this, our doctors have earned a reputation of local, regional and global excellence from their peers. They have proven their ability to deliver effective pediatric treatments, giving new hope and many healthier tomorrows.

These exceptional outcomes can be credited, in part, to our surgeons’ deep experience with minimally invasive techniques, many of which they have pioneered themselves (see sidebar for examples). These techniques often reduce pain, complications, hospital stays, recovery time and scarring. Our team is always finding new ways to update these processes to continue reducing the impact of surgery on the body and expanding the capabilities of minimally invasive surgery.

Pediatric surgeries we offer

Our surgeons are experienced in performing many surgical procedures. Additionally, we are honored to be part of a larger network of Rocky Mountain Pediatric Specialists. This allows us to bring in an added level of expertise for procedures that require further specialization (such as ear, nose and throat (ENT) or cardiac surgery).

For all procedures, we employ the least invasive option that is medically safe with the goal of completing a safe procedure while reducing the impact of surgery on the patient’s body. Our patients come to us for surgical treatments such as:

• Neonatal surgery
  • Repairing congenital abnormalities, including congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM)
  • Treating esophageal atresia (EA)
  • Other neonatal and perinatal disorders
• Pediatric general surgery
  • Hernia repair
  • Treating hernias, including inguinal hernias, umbilical hernias and epigastric hernias.
  • Gastrointestinal disorders
• Chest wall abnormality correction

Chest wall abnormality correction

A chest wall abnormality occurs when there is a structural deformity of the chest. This can develop in two ways:

• Pectus excavatum: In this case, the chest bone dips inward. Some people call this a ‘funnel’ or ‘sunken’ chest. Affecting about 1 in 300 children, this is the most common type of chest wall deformity.
• Pectus carinatum: This occurs when the breastbone protrudes and can be referred to as ‘pigeon chest.’ This condition affects about one in 1,000 children. Both affect more boys than girls.

These chest wall deformities are present at birth but often not noticeable until the early teenage years. The conditions may affect breathing during exercise, the development of respiratory infections, asthma and scoliosis, especially for pectus excavatum. However, the most common complaint of these conditions is the impact on the patient’s self-esteem and psychological health.

Treatment for chest wall deformity

When treating a chest wall deformity, our team first evaluates how significant the abnormality of the bone is and how it is affecting the patient’s health – physically and psychologically. Then, we work with the patient and family to create an individualized treatment plan that meets the family’s unique needs. We always begin with a nonsurgical treatment, if possible. Pectus excavatum requires surgical correction more than pectus carinatum. And pectus carinatum is often treated successfully with bracing.

Custom bracing for pectus carinatum

At Rocky Mountain Pediatric Surgery, we offer custom bracing for pectus carinatum patients. The patient is fitted for a fully customized brace that will be worn 24 hours a day (under clothing) for 6 months to a year. Bracing is often started around ages 10-15 and works well just before a growth spurt. It gently guides the structures back into place without trauma or significant pain for the patient.

Visiting our pediatric surgical clinic

Rocky Mountain Pediatric Surgery — Denver is conveniently located inside Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. Parking is available in the self-parking garage behind our building.

Our hours of operation are: We are open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm

How to schedule an appointment

To schedule an appointment, please call our offices at (303) 839-6001 during regular business hours. We also offer scheduling through our online appointment scheduler.

If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please call at least 24 hours in advance. We make every effort to stay on schedule, but we understand emergencies arise.

Rocky Mountain Kids eNewsletter 

New patients

New patients are asked to arrive 30 minutes early to complete paperwork. You can download, print and complete the forms prior to your appointment. Please bring the completed forms, a list of all medications your child is currently taking, recent copies of x-rays, lab results, photo ID and your insurance card to your appointment.

Additional locations

Rocky Mountain Pediatric Surgery provides comprehensive surgical care in five locations. In addition to our office in Denver, we also provide excellent surgical treatments at the following locations: