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Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

Dr. Aliza Solomon from Weill Cornell Medicine interacts with a patient.

About Us

The Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition at Weill Cornell Medicine provides specialized, multi-disciplinary care for children and adolescents. Affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian's top-ranked Komansky Children's Hospital and Center for Advanced Digestive Care, our practice provides complete and therapeutic services to children with esophageal, gastrointestinal, liver, pancreatic, and nutritional disorders, including:

Abdominal pain
Biliary tract disease
Celiac disease
Childhood obesity
Crohn's disease
Constipation
Diarrhea
Eosinophilic esophagitis
Failure to thrive
Food allergy
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Gastrointestinal bleeding
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Intestinal allergies
Jaundice
Malabsorption
Motility disorders
Pancreatic disorders
Polyps
Ulcerative colitis
Viral hepatitis
Vomiting

Other areas of expertise include:

Bravo and pH Probe placement
Capsule endoscopy
Upper endoscopy and colonoscopy
Fecal microbiota transplant
Gastrostomy tube placement
Hydrogen and methane breath testing for bacterial overgrowth and lactose intolerance
Impedance/pH testing
Polypectomy
Pouchoscopy

What Sets Us Apart

We are affiliated with the Phyllis and David Komansky Children's Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the #1 ranked children's hospital in New York City on the 2018-2019 US News & World Report Best Children's Hospitals survey.
Our pediatric sub-specialists are part of the Center for Advanced Digestive Care (CADC) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, one of the nation's leading centers for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood diseases.

Office Information and Patient Forms

Diagnosis and Treatment

Upper and Lower Endoscopy

Endoscopy is a procedure that allows a Gastroenterologist to look at the inside of the gastrointestinal tract using an endoscope. An endoscopy is performed to discover reasons for problems including swallowing difficulties, bleeding, indigestion, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, reflux, chest pain or diarrhea.

Tip Sheet: Upper and Lower Endoscopy (PDF)

Capsule Endoscopy

Capsule endoscopy is used to look at the inside lining of the small intestine. Conventional upper endoscopy will only visualize the beginning of the small intestine, and colonoscopy will only visualize the end of small intestine. Capsule endoscopy is a way of bridging that gap to see the entire intestine.

Tip Sheet: Capsule Endoscopy (PDF)

pH Probe Study

A pH probe study is designed to assess acid reflux in your child. Sometimes this study can be performed "with impedance," which means that it will also detect non-acid reflux.

Tip Sheet: Testing for pH/Impedance (PDF)

Research

Crohn's Disease Growth Study

Dr. Neera Gupta, MD, MAS is leading a research study about the effects of Crohn's disease on the growth of pediatric patients. Learn more about the Growth Study, including how to enroll.

Resources

GI Kids: Education resources for families by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN). Includes brochures, videos, podcasts, and online communities.
North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN): An organization of more than 1,400 pediatric gastroenterologists in the United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada.
Center for Advanced Digestive Care (CADC): Pediatric Gastroenterology: The CADC at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is one of the nation's leading centers for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood digestive diseases

Our Services

Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Program

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis cause chronic inflammation of the lining of the intestines. We take a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with IBD. Our goal is to help young patients with IBD keep their disease in check, so they can continue to live full lives throughout childhood, adolescence, and beyond. We tailor the care we provide to your child, and offer support to your entire family.

Services & Programs

Infusion Therapies

We offer infusions of treatments including the new class of drugs called biologics. Some children can receive their infusions at home. Patients see their doctor at every infusion visit, allowing children and their families to continue working collaboratively with their providers on bringing their IBD into control or remission.

Transitional Care

The Pediatric IBD Transition Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital is a collaborative initiative in which teens and young adults with IBD, their family members and caregivers, and our healthcare team work together to prepare young patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis for the move from pediatric into adult medicine. Young patients learn to manage their medical care and independently navigate the healthcare system.

Improve Care Now

Our pediatric gastroenterologists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Komansky Center for Children’s Health are part of Improve Care Now, a national network of clinicians and researchers collaborating to improve the standard of care for pediatric IBD patients.

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Pediatric Motility Program

If your child has problems with motility — the coordinated contraction and movement of the digestive tract — we know how much these problems can interfere with your child's and your family's quality of life. Children can develop motility disorders that range from relatively benign conditions such as constipation to more serious disorders such as Hirschsprung's disease.

Our goals are to help you understand the reasons for your child's symptoms and to improve his or her quality of life. The Pediatric Motility Program at Weill Cornell Medicine is led by Dr. Thomas Ciecierega, a leading expert in the diagnosis and treatment of routine and complex motility disorders. He specializes in complex esophageal, gastric, intestinal, colonic, and anorectal motility testing, as well as advanced endoscopic procedures.

Services & Programs

We treat the following symptoms and conditions:

abdominal distention
constipation
diarrhea
difficulty swallowing
heartburn
nausea
pain
vomiting
anorectal disorders
congenital anorectal malformations
congenital esophageal malformations
esophageal achalasia
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
gastroparesis
incontinence
intestinal pseudo-obstruction syndrome

Diagnosis & Treatment

The Director of the service is Dr. Thomas Ciecierega, an expert in motility in children. Dr. Ciecierega is trained in performing diagnostic and interventional endoscopic procedures in children of all ages with gastrointestinal diseases, including colonoscopy, ileoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, polypectomy, liver biopsy, esophageal and pyloric Botox injections, and esophageal dilatation.

Each patient’s healthcare team may include, as needed, dedicated nurses, technicians, a dietitian and a patient care coordinator.
We are able to diagnose patients using leading-edge equipment, including:

high-resolution esophageal Manometry
high-resolution 3D anorectal Manometry
pH impedance testing
wireless video capsule endoscopy
therapeutic endoscopy

Esophageal and anorectal manometry usually do not require sedation, and the radiation we use, if any, is minimal. With older patients, our team can explain certain procedures and perform them while the patient is awake. Parents are an important part of the team and may choose to be present during the procedure.

We will provide ongoing comprehensive care, and work with your child’s pediatrician to manage chronic conditions.

What Sets us Apart

We are one of only a few pediatric motility programs in the country, and one of the few in the New York metropolitan region to provide motility studies (such as esophageal and anorectal manometry) in infants, children, and adolescents.
We are affiliated with the Phyllis and David Komansky Children’s Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the #1 ranked children’s hospital in New York City on the 2017-2018 US News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals survey.
Our pediatric sub-specialists are part of the Center for Advanced Digestive Care (CADC) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, one of the nation's leading centers for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood disease.

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Our Locations

Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

505 East 70th Street, Helmsley Tower, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10021

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Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

2315 Broadway, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10024

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505 East 70th Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10021

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News

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Alex: Hope for Tomorrow

March 30, 2018

Outperforming Crohn’s Disease: Analise’s Story

February 28, 2018

Events

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Dec 05 2019

Pediatric Diabetes Program Coffee Talk: Coping with My Child's Diagnosis

Time: 9:15am to 11:00am

Location: Helmsley Tower

Dec 16 2019

Information Session: Vaping and Youth Substance Use

Time: 5:00pm to 6:00pm

Location: Helmsley Tower

Media

Learn more about Dr. Neera Gupta's study, which aims to figure out why boys with Crohn's disease are more likely to have growth issues compared to girls.