The Greatest Care for Your Child's Health
At AdventHealth for Children, our skilled medical team successfully treats a wide range of conditions using the most advanced tools and the safest possible therapies. Learn more about some pediatric conditions that may require surgery.
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Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program
Our multispecialty adolescent bariatric care team will guide you and your child through personalized weight-loss options to determine the best path for care. AdventHealth for Children in Orlando has the only accredited Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program in Central Florida, offering bariatric procedures and a range of support services to help your child and family maintain a healthier lifestyle.
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Atresia
As a baby develops, there are occasions when an orifice doesn’t open properly or is entirely absent. We monitor babies for signs of atresia and correct these issues in surgery to restore the functionality of these openings.
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Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation (CCAM)
Caused by an overgrowth of abnormal lung tissue, CCAM is a congenital condition detected during a routine ultrasound by your doctor. Our surgeons can remove this abnormal lung tissue, preferably when the child is three to six months old.
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Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
Several conditions can cause a baby’s diaphragm to develop abnormally. Surgery is required to repair this dome-shaped muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen. Under general anesthesia, we may repair the defect or hole thoracoscopically (through the chest), laparoscopically, or with a small abdominal incision.
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Gastroschisis and Omphalocele
During pregnancy, a baby's organs can develop outside of the body, causing conditions such as gastroschisis and omphalocele. Once the baby is born, our skilled surgeons will relocate these organs inside the body.
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Pectus Carinatum and Pectus Excavatum
Pectus carinatum, or pigeon chest, occurs when the cartilage of the breastbone develops with an abnormally pushed-out chest. Similarly, pectus excavatum, or sunken chest, is a deformity where the chest bones cave in. Both conditions become more noticeable during puberty and may affect your child's heart and lung usage. Depending on the severity, our surgeons can recommend various minimally invasive surgical options.
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Sequestration
Occasionally a piece of tissue in a developing baby turns into lung tissue that isn’t connected to the pulmonary blood supply or the bronchial airways. This tissue is removed by our team after birth, ideally using minimally invasive surgical techniques.
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Teratoma
Located at the base of the tailbone, the neck or the abdomen, a teratoma is a common tumor in newborns. Because surgery is needed to treat them, our expert team can safely perform procedures to remove teratomas.
W. Raleigh Thompson, MD
W. Raleigh Thompson, MD
Medical Director, Pediatric Surgeon
W. Raleigh Thompson, MD, FACS, is double-board certified in general surgery and pediatric surgery. As the Medical Director of Pediatric Surgery at AdventHealth for Children, he is an acknowledged leader in his field who performs complex, minimally invasive and highly delicate surgeries to address congenital diseases and disabilities in young children. A compassionate physician who is fluent in both English and Spanish, he clearly and thoroughly communicates with parents about their child’s condition and treatment options. Areas in which he specializes include pediatric surgery, general surgery and surgical critical care. Dr. Thompson has extensive experience, having performed more than 10,000 procedures in busy pediatric centers over the past 25 years.
Joseph Esparaz, MD
Joseph R. Esparaz, MD, MPH
Pediatric Surgery
Joseph R. Esparaz, MD, MPH, is a board-certified pediatric surgeon who earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and a master’s in public health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He believes in treating every surgery equally, providing the highest-quality care to each child. Dr. Esparaz felt called to pediatric surgery because of children’s resilience, which he finds inspiring and rewarding.
Aleksander Bernshteyn, MD
Aleksander Bernshteyn, MD
Pediatric Surgeon
Aleksander Bernshteyn, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained pediatric surgeon. He has a strong focus on implementing minimally invasive alternatives to traditional surgery for children, and on designing treatments that minimize pain and scarring and make recovery as simple as possible for patients and their families. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Pediatric Surgery Association. Dr. Bernshteyn is fluent in English and Russian with conversational Hebrew.
Christopher Anderson, MD, FACS
Christopher Anderson, MD, FACS
Medical Director, Pediatric Surgeon
Christopher Anderson, MD, FACS, is double-board certified in general surgery and pediatric surgery with advanced training in minimally invasive surgery techniques for pediatric surgery. He is dedicated to providing the most advanced and effective treatments for thoracic and abdominal conditions in children, and his clinical expertise and outstanding patient outcomes have been recognized with Clinician of the Year and Surgeon of the Quarter awards from AdventHealth.
Lindsey Armstrong, MD, MPH
Lindsey Armstrong, MD, MPH
Pediatric Surgeon
Lindsey Armstrong, MD, MPH, is a board-certified pediatric surgeon who most recently completed an advanced fellowship training in surgical critical care at Boston Children’s Hospital and pediatric surgery at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital prior to joining AdventHealth for Children. An experienced clinician and researcher, Dr. Armstrong is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Pediatric Surgical Association, and the American College of Surgeons. She is dedicated to providing her young patients with high-quality, evidence-based care.
Our Greatest Achievement Is Caring for Your Family
At AdventHealth for Children, we have been nationally recognized for our leadership in advanced treatments, breakthrough research and the compassionate care of children and their families.
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Highest Quality in Surgical Care
AdventHealth for Children is verified as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program, which was developed to improve the quality of children’s surgical care.
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Top 6% in the Nation for Patient Safety
AdventHealth for Children was awarded the Top Children’s Hospital award by The Leapfrog Group as one of the nation's safest children’s hospitals — an honor earned by only eight U.S. children's hospitals.
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Gold Standard in Nursing
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has granted AdventHealth for Children Magnet recognition, which establishes the hospital as a national leader in nursing and patient care. Only 7% of the nation’s hospitals have received this recognition.