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Call for Abstracts

PCPLC 2027 Call for Abstracts

The Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium (PCPLC) was founded in 2016 and has to date established itself as a multi-center collaborative to improve care for children with anorectal malformations, Hirschsprung disease, severe constipation, pelvic disorders, and related conditions through research, quality improvement, and education. This year, our Annual Meeting is being held in Austin, TX from January 13-15, 2027.

Be sure to carefully review all submission guidelines in advance. Abstract submission form will open in mid-August, 2026.

Procedure

Scientific abstracts are welcome in a variety of categories (including basic science and clinical research) but must be related to colorectal and pelvic care in the pediatric (and transitioning to adult) population. Submissions are welcome from those with an interest in colorectal and pelvic care but should be sponsored by a physician or allied health professional. Acceptance of submitted work obligates the presenter to register as for the PCPLC Annual Meeting in Austin, TX.

Abstracts must be submitted through the PCPLC Abstract Submission Site and are subject to the published deadlines and guidelines. Abstracts are peer-reviewed and scored on originality, scientific merit, study design, clarity of presentation, impact and relevance. Submitted abstracts are assumed to represent original work, and must comply with ethical research practices, including the obtaining of institutional review board (IRB) approval where appropriate. Work that has been presented in other forums IS eligible for consideration however, it must not be accepted for publication in a medical journal.

Submission Format

Abstract text must be written in English. Authors who do not utilize English as a first language are encouraged to seek assistance for writing abstracts with proper English grammar and syntax. Abstracts are limited to 300 words and one graphic element or one table, which do not count against the 300-word limit. Tables are limited to a maximum of 7 columns and 10 rows. Graphics should be submitted in a .jpg or .gif format. Do not submit .bmp files. Maximum file size is 30MB. Tables, figures, and graphs should not be used in the abstract unless they are simple and illustrate the central theme of the work in ways that text cannot.

The abstract should clearly state the purpose of the study or review, the results
obtained and the conclusions. Promises to explain the work or vague presentations of data will result in rejection.

Credit for authorship implies substantial contributions to conception, design, analysis and interpretation of data, and to writing and revising the abstract. The number of authors should be reasonable, given the subject and experimental design. Data generated from multiple institutions should include an author from each institution or permission from a representative from each institution to use the data. Authors and institutions must be omitted from the abstract text. Because of the blinding process used during the review process these rules must be observed. Non-conforming abstracts will NOT be considered.

Abstracts should be identified by one of the following categories:

  • Anorectal Malformations
  • Basic Science
  • Disorders of Sexual Differentiation
  • Education
  • Ethics
  • Gynecologic Disorders
  • Hirschsprung Disease
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Motility Disorders
  • Pelvic Floor Disorders
  • Urologic Disorders
  • Other

Scientific Oral Presentations
All work will be considered for either an oral (“plenary”) or poster presentation unless otherwise stated that the authors wish to be considered for a poster only.

  • Abstract text should be formatted as such:
    • Title should be short, descriptive, and avoid declarative or interrogatory title styles.
    • Purpose should be a succinct statement of the research question or hypothesis.
    • Methods should include the clinical setting (DO NOT identify the institution name), sampling criteria and inclusive dates.
      • The control group should be adequately described and any specific mention should be made of the number of experimental subjects or patients in groups (n=).
      • The statistical method and levels of significance should be included.
      • IRB and/or IACUC approval should be mentioned here if applicable.
    • Results should state in sufficient detail to support the conclusion, with only enough interpretation to indicate relevance; extended discussion or literature reviews should be avoided.
    • Conclusion should summarize the abstract (We conclude…) with a brief statement of findings clearly supported by the data, consistent with the research purpose, and with a minimum of further suggestions or inferences.
      • The conclusion should be readable as a short, stand-alone statement.
    • If accepted:
      • Presentation is limited to 5 minutes plus 3 minutes for discussion.
      • Unlimited number of slides.
      • Final presentation must be submitted by January 7, 2026.
    • These abstracts are eligible to submit manuscripts for publication in the Annual Meeting edition of The Journal of Pediatric Surgery.
      • The PCPLC is afforded the opportunity to publish 3-5 papers from its annual meeting in The Journal of Pediatric Surger
      • Manuscript submission is optional but encouraged.
      • Presentation of your abstract at the annual meeting is not a guarantee of acceptance for publication.
      • Manuscript submission guidelines will be forwarded to those authors whose work is accepted for presentation in this category.
  • Poster Submission
    • Authors may choose to have their work judged as a poster only if desired, and this must be identified as such when the abstract is submitted.
    • Posters will be presented at a dedicated interactive poster session.
    • Presenter must be present at session.
    • Posters will consist of one PowerPoint slide that will accompany an oral presentation of no longer than 3 minutes, with discussion to take place for 3-5 minutes thereafter.
  • Additional details on the construction of the poster will be emailed to the submitting author upon acceptance.
    • These abstracts are NOT eligible for manuscript submission.

Video Presentations
Videos of new techniques are welcome, and those that have been presented at other meetings may be submitted for consideration.

  • Videos are limited to 5-minutes.
  • Videos should be submitted in .mp4 format and should include narration.
  • If accepted:
    • Video presentations will be presented in the oral session where the narrated video will play and there will be 3 minutes available for discussion, thus the author or her representative must be present.
    • The video that was submitted by the author initially will be considered the final video for presentation unless specific changes must be made. This will occur at the discretion of the program committee.
  • These presentations are NOT eligible for manuscript submission.

Interesting Case Presentations
Interesting case submissions are meant to be difficult/challenging cases of patients with surgical colorectal or pelvic disorders that are presented to obtain feedback from content experts about management options.

  • Abstract text should be formatted as such:
    • Title should be short and descriptive, highlighting the challenge the case poses, and avoid declarative or interrogatory title styles.
    • Case should be a succinct review of the case highlighting the controversies or difficulties.
    • Summary should summarize the questions to be asked by the content experts.
  • If accepted:
    • The presentation is limited to 5-minutes plus 10 minutes for discussion.
    • Do not submit video as part of the original submission, photos can be used for the abstract.
    • Video or other visual adjuncts may be used if accepted for presentation.

Disclosures and Funding

Authors must disclose any financial interest/relationship that they have with any commercial interest related to the content of the presentation. In addition, authors must identify any off- label or experimental uses of any drugs that are presented in the abstract.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval must be indicated for all studies involving human subjects and/or animals. IRB approval is required for retrospective reviews. Indication on the abstract form that IRB/IACUC approval has been obtained implies that written approval from the appropriate institutional committee has been obtained. Authors of abstracts that are exempt from IRB approval must provide documentation of exemption in the form of a letter from the chair of their IRB or provide a letter from the senior APSA member author on the abstract attesting to the fact that the study design meets all criteria for exemption from IRB review and approval. The program committee reserves the right to refuse claims of exemption if, in the opinion of the program committee members, the study design does not meet criteria for exemption. IRB/IACUC requirements must be satisfied upon submission of the abstract. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the abstract being withdrawn. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Any studies involving human subjects must conform to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association (Clinical 57 Research 1966; 14:103) and must meet all requirements governing informed consent of the country in which it was performed. To complete your abstract submission, you will be required to provide a copy of your IRB/IACUC approval (or equivalent of) or exemption for the abstract to be considered.