ABS Pediatric Surgery case studies
ABS Pediatric Surgery · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Pediatric surgery certification is the American Board of Surgery credential for surgeons who provide diagnostic, operative, and postoperative care to children with congenital and acquired anomalies and diseases. The scope is deliberately broad: it includes developmental, inflammatory, neoplastic, and traumatic conditions, and it extends from surgical problems in utero through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and sometimes young adulthood. The pathway is not a standalone track. Applicants must first complete an ACGME- or RCPSC-accredited pediatric surgery residency and hold initial certification in general surgery. The ABS Pediatric Surgery case studies are 5 cases and about 3,710 words.
1Lower urinary tract obstruction at 22 weeks: the second vesicocentesis changes the answer
A 22-week male fetus is referred after a 20-week scan showed a thickened bladder wall, bilateral hydronephrosis, and a dilated posterior urethra ('keyhole' sign). Amniotic fluid index today is 6.8 cm (was 11 cm at 18 weeks).
764 words, about 4 min2Necrotizing enterocolitis with portal venous gas in a 780 g infant: drain, laparotomy, or wait
A 26-week, 780 g boy born by emergency cesarean for preeclampsia is now 11 days old. He has been fed with breast milk and has had two episodes of bloody stool.
739 words, about 4 min3Choledochal cyst presenting as pancreatitis: timing the operation and defining the resection
A 6-year-old girl has had three episodes of severe epigastric pain over five months, each with vomiting. Today she is afebrile with scleral icterus.
718 words, about 4 min4Pancreatic neck transection after a handlebar injury: what the ERCP result actually means
A 10-year-old boy falls onto his bicycle handlebar. He arrives alert, with severe epigastric pain and one episode of emesis.
750 words, about 4 min5Imperforate anus with meconium-stained urine: why the single-stage plan is wrong
A 36-hour-old term boy born at a district hospital is transferred because no anal opening was seen at the newborn check. He has voided meconium-stained urine twice.
739 words, about 4 min