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Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has several outpatient and urgent care centers throughout South Florida, including on-demand, virtual care.
Walk-in urgent care with no appointment needed.
Serving as your child's primary doctor's office.
Pediatric specialty consultations available closer to home.
A full range of comprehensive services all under one roof.
Connect with providers from the comfort of your own home.
With over 800 pediatric clinicians on staff, we’re dedicated to helping you connect with the right specialist for your needs.
We have expertise in treating children and educating families on hundreds of different conditions.
We use cutting-edge, specialized treatments and procedures to ensure the best care for your child.
Also known as: dilation.
Dilatation (also called dilation) is the process of opening up a narrow body part in order to restore its function or perform a medical procedure on it. The process of dilatation can be performed in different ways depending on which body part is affected.
Dilatation processes can vary widely depending on the body part that needs dilated. For example, in order to dilate the cervix, doctors will use progressively thicker rods to open it up for a procedure. Other parts of the body that are more difficult to access, such as the esophagus may be dilated with a balloon that is inserted through a scope or with a guidewire.
Preparation will vary based on the nature of the dilatation. You may need to avoid food, drink or medication for a set period of time before the procedure.
Reviewed by: Carrie Firestone Baum, MD
This page was last updated on: June 17, 2025 12:52 PM
The Nicklaus Children's Hospital pediatric surgery team is among the most experienced in Florida, performing thousands of major and minor procedures annually.
If a patient’s esophagus is too narrow, esophageal dilatation is a procedure that can be used to stretch and open it up. This is often used if swallowing food or liquid proves to be difficult.
If the subglottis or trachea are narrowed and leading to breathing problems, airway dilation is a potential treatment for these problems. The procedure involves using an endoscope to enlarge the airway.