Riley Children’s Health one of select few to offer pediatric advanced GI endoscopy

With the recent launch of its comprehensive Pediatric Advanced Endoscopy Program, Riley Children’s Health is now among a select group of pediatric centers in the nation offering minimally invasive advanced endoscopic procedures to diagnose and treat complex gastrointestinal (GI) conditions.

“Only a handful of pediatric hospitals across the country offer a full array of these advanced, less invasive procedures, which can be highly effective and serve as important alternatives to open surgery in some cases,” said Brett J. Hoskins, DO, pediatric advanced endoscopist and physician leader of the advanced endoscopy program at Riley Children’s. “We’re filling an important gap in care for children in Indiana and the Midwest, providing procedures in a specialized field that’s relatively new and emerging.”

Fellowship trained in pediatric gastroenterology and endoscopy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Hoskins joined Riley Children’s in 2023 to help launch the Pediatric Advanced Endoscopy Program with Marian Pfefferkorn, MD, director of endoscopy.

The new program at Riley Children’s currently offers these advanced endoscopy techniques:

• Balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE)
• Botox injection
• Complex polypectomy
• Endoluminal functional lumen imaging probe (EndoFLIP) and EsoFLIP
• Endoscopic incisional therapy
• Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR)
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
• Esophageal, pyloric, and intestinal stricture dilation
• Esophageal variceal banding
• Gastrointestinal bleeding control
• Gastrointestinal stent placement
• pH/impedance monitoring
• Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) and third space endoscopy
• Transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE)
• Video capsule endoscopy

Most of the procedures are performed at both Riley Hospital for Children in downtown Indianapolis and at Riley Children’s Health at IU Health North in Carmel, Indiana. This ensures patients and families have access to the specialized services and features of a leading pediatric hospital, including pediatric anesthesiologists, child life specialists, nurses and team members specially trained to care for children.

In addition, Dr. Hoskins and the advanced endoscopy team at Riley Children’s have a strong collaborative relationship with adult GI specialists at Indiana University Health. With both groups part of the same IU Health system, there are numerous opportunities to share resources and expertise that contribute to exceptional patient care. For example, based on the inherent lower volumes associated with pediatric ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound, adult GI specialists perform these procedures with support from endoscopists at Riley Children’s.

“Having these advanced, minimally invasive procedures available at Riley Children’s means that families don’t have to travel far to access the latest techniques for diagnosing and treating complex GI conditions,” said Dr. Hoskins. “These procedures often allow for faster recovery and, in most cases, come with minimal risk of complications.”