Paediatric surgery is an independent specialty that deals with all aspects of the surgical diseases of children. Its scope involves a wide range of clinical problems such as trauma, tumours and inflammatory diseases, and, more specifically, malformations. These conditions almost always have essentially unknown origins and are caused by unknown mechanisms. Surgery is required at various times in the life of patients with malformations, ranging from neonatal anatomical and functional reconstruction to replacement of dysfunctional organs later in life.

As a consequence, this line of research has an unusually broad spectrum as it encompasses the study of cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to malformations, the biology of the malformed foetus and embryo, prenatal chances for intervention on the malformations, and postnatal treatments including organ replacement.