Aim of the Study: Surgical experience is a crucial part of surgical specialty training. Worldwide, there are limited publications on case volume and its changes in pediatric surgery residency. This study aimed to analyze case volume characteristics and changes in our clinic over 30 years
Methods: Data were collected from surgeries performed by our clinic within the 30-year period. Cases were categorized as routine/special, elective/emergency, open/endoscopic, and by the primary surgeon’s title and residency year.
Results: A total of 6,484 surgeries were performed in the 7 years: 1990 (613), 1995 (624), 2000 (779), 2005 (844), 2010 (1,492), 2015 (1,197), and 2020 (935). Of these, 53.2% were performed by residents, and 46.8% by faculty members. The majority were genitourinary (62.6%) and gastrointestinal (22.6%) cases. Elective surgeries accounted for 77.2%, while emergency cases made up 22.8%. Routine cases constituted 78.2%, while special cases made up 21.8%. The most common surgeries were inguinal hernia repair (17.3%), circumcision (16%), appendectomy (11%), orchiopexy (6.8%), and hydrocelectomy (4.9%). Of the cases, 89.2% were performed openly, while 10.8% were endoscopic.Residents’ case distribution by year was 10.4% (0-1 year), 20.8% (1-2 years), 14% (2-3 years), 22.7% (3-4 years), and 32.1% (4-5 years). Faculty members performed more elective, special, and endoscopic cases compared to residents (p<0.01). As residents advanced, the frequency of performing special cases, endoscopic surgeries, and elective procedures increased (p<0.01)
Conclusion: Despite the diversity of special cases in pediatric surgery, the limited number of each per center presents a significant challenge in resident training.
Keywords: pediatric surgery, resident training, case volume
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