The Pediatric Pulmonology Institute provides diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for premature infants, babies, children, and adolescents with respiratory diseases and disorders, including asthma, chronic cough, pulmonary infections, lung abnormalities, congenital and acquired lung diseases, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants.
The Pediatric Pulmonology Institute is a central part of the pediatric outpatient services at Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital, providing comprehensive respiratory care for children from birth to age 18 with a wide range of respiratory conditions.
The institute offers several unique nationwide services, including a dedicated service for children requiring long-term mechanical ventilation and Israel’s national diagnostic service for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD).
Alongside its clinical activities, the institute’s team leads research and academic collaborations, incorporating advanced technologies and medical innovation to improve care for patients and their families.
The institute includes a team of specialists in pediatric respiratory disorders and a Pulmonary Function Laboratory offering advanced and specialized tests for diagnosis, follow-up, assessment of respiratory disease severity, and personalized treatment planning.
The institute operates several specialized clinics, including a Chronic Lung Disease Clinic, which provides multidisciplinary follow-up and treatment for children with congenital and acquired chronic lung diseases.
Additional services include flexible bronchoscopy, respiratory physiotherapy, and guidance on the correct use of inhalers and nebulizer devices.
Team
Main Areas of Activity
The Pediatric Pulmonology Institute provides diagnosis, consultation, treatment, and follow-up for children with a wide range of respiratory conditions, including congenital respiratory disorders, breathing problems from birth, respiratory conditions in premature infants, asthma, chronic cough, lung abnormalities, and chronic lung diseases. Services are provided to both hospitalized children and outpatients.
- Pulmonary function testing
- Flexible bronchoscopy – examination of the airways using a flexible fiber-optic camera, including respiratory secretion sampling when required
- Respiratory physiotherapy
- Diagnostic imaging, including advanced X-ray techniques
- Guidance on the correct use of inhalers and nebulizers
- Respiratory Day Hospital services for children with complex conditions
Pulmonary Function Laboratory
The institute operates a specialized Pediatric and Infant Pulmonary Function Laboratory, providing comprehensive and advanced testing for diagnosis, assessment of respiratory disease severity, and personalized treatment planning.
Tests performed at the laboratory include:
- Spirometry with bronchodilator response
- Exercise challenge testing
- Methacholine / adenosine challenge testing
- Methacholine / adenosine challenge testing in young children (PC wheeze)
- Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO)
- Maximum inspiratory pressure
- Nasal nitric oxide (nNO) testing for diagnosis of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD)
- Induced sputum culture, in collaboration with respiratory physiotherapy
- Diffusing capacity of the lungs (DLCO)
- Lung volume measurements