When is surgery part of IBD care?
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic, immune-driven inflammation of the digestive tract. Most children are managed by pediatric gastroenterology with medication — and should be. Surgery enters the picture when disease resists medical therapy or creates a complication that medicine cannot fix: a stricture, an abscess or fistula, severe bleeding, or colitis that won't settle.
For ulcerative colitis, removing the diseased colon can be curative, often with an internal J-pouch that preserves the ability to stool normally. For Crohn's, surgery is targeted and bowel-sparing. In every case the work is shared closely with the child's gastroenterologist.
How Dr. Calisto approaches it
- Minimally invasive and robotic resection to limit scarring and speed recovery
- Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch (J-pouch) for ulcerative colitis
- Bowel-sparing surgery and stricture management for Crohn's disease
- Co-managed care alongside pediatric gastroenterology, start to finish
Why families come to Dr. Calisto
Surgical decisions in pediatric IBD are about timing and judgment as much as technique. Dr. Calisto works as part of the team — operating only when it truly helps, and using minimally invasive and robotic approaches to get children back to being kids faster.
- Robotic and minimally invasive resection for faster recovery
- J-pouch reconstruction for ulcerative colitis
- Bowel-sparing strategy for Crohn's disease
- Close coordination with your child's gastroenterology team