Doctors Recommend Vaginoscopy for Female Colorectal Patients
Of the 2,100 surgeries that Alberto Peña, MD, and Marc Levitt, MD, director and co-director respectively of the Colorectal Center for Children at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, have performed to correct colorectal and anorectal malformations, they report that six percent of the female children had associated gynecologic problems as well. Because of this, Drs. Peña and Levitt recommend performing a routine vaginoscopy at the time of colorectal reconstruction.
The two have collaborated closely with pediatric and adolescent gynecologist Lesley Breech, MD, in assessing patients and making the recommendation. Dr. Breech points out that in the past, assessment of the reproductive structures was overlooked. “Because bowel and urologic problems can be serious or even life-threatening,” she says, “gynecologic issues may not seem as important immediately. But delineating the reproductive anatomy can be very important to prevent problems in the newborn period or with pubertal development.”
Because Drs. Peña and Levitt also continue to find a high incidence of associated urologic problems in their patients of both sexes, they have developed a unique collaboration with pediatric urologists Curt Sheldon, MD, and Shumyle Alam, MD, for the surgical and long term urologic care of these patients.
A course offered twice a year by Drs. Peña and Levitt at Cincinnati Children’s features sessions on the gynecologic and urologic challenges that children with anorectal malformations often face. They offer live demonstrations of the surgical repair of the most frequent types of anorectal defects, lectures and discussion, and a special session on nursing management of these patients. Curtis A. Sheldon, MD, professor in the Division of Pediatric Urology, and Shumyle Alam, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Urology, assists with the urologic session; Lesley Breech, MD, assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics assists with the gynecologic section.
