Collection
Common Pediatric Surgical Conditions
Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Always talk to your child's care team about your child's situation.
Content of this collection
Acute Abdomen
2 items
Appendicitis1 item
Appendicolith and inflammatory burden in pediatric acute appendicitis: an independent association
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Purpose Methods Results Conclusion
article · May 2026
Bowel Obstruction1 item
Cirujanos por el mundo - Capítulo 3
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Podcast episode featuring Dr. Rodrigo Casals discussing multi-center study on adhesive small bowel obstruction management in children
podcast · Sep 2026
Biliary Disease
1 item
Cholecystitis Management1 item
2025 Pediatric Surgery Update Course - Updates in Lap Chole and Cholecystitis Management
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On August 26th, the largest Pediatric Surgery course in the world each year was held, where top hospital experts from around the US will discuss this year’s changes in practices and innovation. Learn more about the future of pediatric surge
video18:17 · Aug 2025
Pediatric Oncology
1 item
Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping1 item
Indocyanine green assists with sentinel lymph node mapping in pediatric and adolescent patients
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Dr. Sophia Schermerhorn from Cincinnati Children's discusses a multicenter prospective study on the accuracy of indocyanine green (ICG) for sentinel lymph node mapping in pediatric and adolescent patients with skin and soft tissue malignanc
video1:13 · May 2026
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Sentinel lymph node biopsy in pediatric skin and soft tissue malignancies has evolved with the adoption of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging. A multi-center prospective PeaceOC study demonstrated that peritumoral ICG injection achieved nearly 80% sensitivity for sentinel node detection, with all malignancy-containing nodes showing ICG avidity [e12056-c2, e12056-c3]. This diagnostic performance aligns with prior smaller pediatric series and may exceed blue dye localization, though direct head-to-head comparison was not performed [e12056-c4, e12056-c5, e12056-c6]. In practice, ICG was typically used alongside standard technetium-based techniques rather than as monotherapy . The safety profile proved favorable, with no adverse reactions documented within 30 days postoperatively . Unlike blue dye—which carries risk of permanent dermal tattooing—ICG offers comparable or superior visualization without this cosmetic sequela, a meaningful consideration in the pediatric population [e12056-c9, e12056-c10]. Current evidence supports ICG as a reliable adjunct for sentinel node identification in this setting, though optimal protocols for standalone use versus multimodal localization remain undefined.
- ICG fluorescence achieves 80% sensitivity for sentinel node detection in pediatric soft tissue malignancies, with 100% detection of malignant nodes. [e12056-c2, e12056-c3]
- ICG may outperform blue dye for sentinel node localization and avoids permanent tattooing, though direct comparative trials are lacking. [e12056-c5, e12056-c9, e12056-c10]
- Multi-center prospective data confirm ICG safety in children, with no adverse reactions observed within 30 days of surgery. [e12056-c8]
- Current practice typically combines ICG with technetium rather than using ICG as standalone localization. [e12056-c7]
- ICG diagnostic performance in pediatric sentinel node biopsy is consistent across multiple studies, supporting its reliability as a visualization adjunct. [e12056-c4]
For patients & families
When children have certain skin or soft-tissue cancers, doctors need to check whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. A recent multi-center study looked at a new way to find these "sentinel" lymph nodes—the first nodes where cancer might travel. Doctors injected a special dye called indocyanine green (ICG) near the tumor, then used a camera to see where it lit up during surgery. The dye successfully identified sentinel nodes in almost 80% of cases, and importantly, every node that contained cancer glowed with the dye. This performance matches earlier smaller studies in children and may work better than an older blue dye method. Doctors typically used ICG alongside their standard techniques. No children had bad reactions to the dye within a month of surgery, and unlike blue dye—which can leave permanent marks on the skin—ICG does not cause lasting discoloration. These findings suggest ICG is a safe and effective tool to help surgeons find the right lymph nodes to check in children with these cancers.
When children have certain skin or soft-tissue cancers, doctors need to check whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. A recent multi-center study looked at a new way to find these "sentinel" lymph nodes—the first nodes where cancer might travel. Doctors injected a special dye called indocyanine green (ICG) near the tumor, then used a camera to see where it lit up during surgery. The dye successfully identified sentinel nodes in almost 80% of cases, and importantly, every node that contained cancer glowed with the dye. This performance matches earlier smaller studies in children and may work better than an older blue dye method. Doctors typically used ICG alongside their standard techniques. No children had bad reactions to the dye within a month of surgery, and unlike blue dye—which can leave permanent marks on the skin—ICG does not cause lasting discoloration. These findings suggest ICG is a safe and effective tool to help surgeons find the right lymph nodes to check in children with these cancers.
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Indocyanine green assists with sentinel lymph node mapping in pediatric and adolescent patients
The study was a multi-center prospective study conducted by PeaceOC evaluating indocyanine green (ICG) for identifying sentinel lymph nodes in pediatric patients with skin and soft tissue malignancies
clinicalSophia Schermerhorn0:05 ↗
Peritumoral injection of ICG demonstrated almost 80% sensitivity for detecting a sentinel node
clinicalSophia Schermerhorn0:21 ↗
All sentinel nodes that contained malignancy were ICG avid
clinicalSophia Schermerhorn0:28 ↗
ICG diagnostic performance is similar to smaller pediatric studies previously evaluating ICG and sentinel lymph node biopsy
clinicalSophia Schermerhorn0:33 ↗
ICG may outperform blue dye localization based on previously reported literature
opinionSophia Schermerhorn0:33 ↗
The study did not directly compare the effectiveness of ICG to blue dye localization
clinicalSophia Schermerhorn0:45 ↗
ICG in most cases was used in conjunction with standard localization techniques such as technetium
clinicalSophia Schermerhorn0:49 ↗
No adverse reactions to ICG were identified within 30 days of surgery
clinicalSophia Schermerhorn0:58 ↗
Blue dye can cause permanent tattooing
clinicalSophia Schermerhorn1:02 ↗
ICG has a favorable safety profile and lacks the permanent tattooing associated with blue dye, making it an attractive visualization adjunct for pediatric sentinel lymph node biopsy
opinionSophia Schermerhorn1:02 ↗
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