The Intestinal Rehabilitation Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is committed to providing comprehensive, customized and family-centered care for children with short bowel disorders and intestinal failure. We welcome the opportunity to care for your child and help them reach their fullest potential.
As part of one of the top-ranked and largest children's hospitals in the United States, the Intestinal Rehabilitation Program offers access to pediatric experts across every specialty your child may need.
Our program is led by a core team of gastroenterologists, nurses and nutritionists – and backed by a large multidisciplinary team including specialists, surgeons, dietitians, a psychologist and a social worker – who are committed to providing an accurate diagnosis for your child and determining the severity of their condition.
We work with patients and families to create immediate and long-term treatment plans for children – with flexibility to adapt as needs change – and support for parents and caregivers in the key role you play in your child’s care. Together, we develop customized treatment plans and follow-up care for each child, and support for families.
The Intestinal Rehabilitation Program offers a full gamut of diagnostic testing to determine how each child’s condition is affecting their ability to absorb nutrients and electrolytes from the food they eat, including breast milk and formula. Short bowel conditions can interfere with a child’s ability to grow and develop. For this reason, many of these children must rely on intravenous (IV) nutrition to survive – at least initially. With medical treatment and therapeutic support provided at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the bowels of most children can grow in size and increase in function, allowing many children to successfully transition from IV nutrition to eating food by mouth or tube feedings.
Our clinicians participate in a national research consortium with other leading intestinal rehabilitation centers around the country to expand our collective knowledge and practice, to develop cutting-edge treatment options and achieve best-in-class outcomes for patients. Because of our research efforts at CHOP, we can ensure that new discoveries about short bowel disorders can more quickly help patients and improve lives.
If you’ve been told or suspect your child has intestinal failure or a short bowel disorder, call us at 215-590-7423 to make an appointment or contact us online.