Surgical care for children in Sweden: a nationwide analysis of disease incidence, surgical procedures, and aspects of demographic, geographic and socioeconomic on access and surgery-related risk

Surgical care for children in Sweden is well regarded in general. However, gradients in access and outcome within the pediatric population is not studied for surgical diseases. As a matter of fact, the roll of surgery in the pediatric population is not well described at all. None-the less, the beliefe that higher volumes equals better outcome is widespread and the general opinion advocates furhter centralization of pediatric surgical care to achive best possible care for the Swedish children.

This doctorial thesis builds on three aspects on surgical care. In part I, the volumes and disease panorama of surgery will be mapped in the Swedish population. Part II aims to grade relative thresholds in access and differences in outcome after emergency and elective surgery in children by study two common surgical conditions: appendicitis and cryptorchidism. The aim is to identify social, economical and geographical factors that may determin outcome. Part III aims to map surgical procedures within the highly specialized care of Child cancer patients.