Optimizing a Child’s Ability to Function

Our expert pediatric neurosurgeons at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s provides comprehensive neurosurgical services for disorders of the brain, spinal cord or associated nerves. We care for each young patient with an individualized plan - starting with the diagnosis and continuing throughout neurosurgery treatment and recovery.

Multidisciplinary Care for Improved Outcomes

As a full-service children’s hospital, our pediatric neurosurgery team works with other pediatric specialists as needed to provide comprehensive and holistic treatment for each child. With a multidisciplinary team approach, we work together for the best outcomes for a wide range of neurological disorders, including expert care for any spine or brain disorders. When possible, our pediatric neurosurgical specialists also use minimally invasive approaches – which means we are able to conserve blood loss, preserve healthy tissue and significantly decrease recovery time.

Specialized Approach to Complex Neurological Conditions

At UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s, this multidisciplinary approach provides the specialized neurosurgical care your child needs for a range of even the most complex neurological conditions, including:

• Brain Tumor Surgery: Our collaborative approach to treatment of brain tumor symptoms brings together expertise in diagnostics, neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, neurology and neuropsychology. Across the region, we are the only team to offer the expertise of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center affiliated with a nationally-ranked children’s hospital. We are also the only hospital in Northeast Ohio to offer proton therapy for pediatric brain tumor treatment.
• Craniofacial Abnormalities: For craniofacial anomalies or irregularities of the head or facial bones, generally present at birth, our pediatric neurosurgeon works closely with craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgeons to correct any issues that affect growth and development.
• Hydrocephalus: When babies are born with extra fluid in or around the brain, this is known as hydrocephalus. Because this condition increases pressure inside a baby’s head, it is critical to seek care by expert pediatric neurosurgeons and neonatal specialists. This serious condition can be congenital, occurring at birth, or can develop due to various causes. Our multidisciplinary team of pediatric doctors will determine a personalized treatment plan based on the severity of the condition.
• Level I Pediatric Trauma Center: Our pediatric neurosurgery team is part of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital’s Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, the only center of its kind in Cleveland. This center specializes in the treatment of injured children suffering from acute brain and spinal cord trauma as well as chronic neurological disorders resulting from major trauma.
• Level IV Pediatric Epilepsy Center: With the highest certification rating by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers, our specialized epileptologists at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s provides comprehensive services, including medical and surgical solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric seizure disorders and associated syndromes.
• Neonatal Neurology and Neurosurgery: With specialized care for even the most complex brain disorders in newborns, our neurosurgical team provides expert care for these disorders, including intraventricular hemorrhage in babies and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in children. These serious issues occur when there is bleeding or softening of brain tissue near chambers of the brain and require expert care by pediatric neurosurgeons and neonatal specialists.
• Spasticity Management: For optimal spasticity treatment, we bring together a multidisciplinary team including both our pediatric neurological and pediatric orthopedic specialists. For the spasticity treatment and other tone or physical problems, we integrate medical, therapeutic and surgical treatments for patients based on a personalized care plan.
• Spina Bifida: Spina bifida refers to different disorders of spinal cord formation including myelomeningocele, tethered cord, spinal lipomas, and other neural tube defects. There is a wide spectrum of these disorders with different effects upon the health of your child. These can cause physical and sometimes intellectual disabilities in children. Experts at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Spina Bifida Program (Myelo Clinic) take a comprehensive team approach to care for babies, children, adolescents and young adults with these conditions. Our multidisciplinary team includes physicians and advance practice nurses from gastroenterology, orthopedics, developmental behavioral pediatrics, neurosurgery, urology and neuropsychology. Together our team evaluates children of any age and develops an individualized plan of care, including input from family members.
• Vascular Malformations: The most common brain vascular malformation is known as an arteriovenous malformation, also called AVM. Normally, your vascular system carries blood throughout your body across arteries, capillaries and veins. If a vascular malformation or irregularity in this connection occurs in the brain, it is very critical to seek expert care from a skilled neurosurgery team as the risk of stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage increases. In addition, unusual growths of blood vessels can commonly occur in the head and neck area and are more visible. These are called hemangiomas, birthmarks or port wine stains. Many times these irregular vascular growths shrink or disappear between the ages of 5-10, but our specialized multidisciplinary team can provide surgical treatment options, if necessary.
• Minimally Invasive Surgery: Our surgeons are pioneers and international leaders in minimally invasive neurosurgery in children. For most patients, this type of surgery involves less pain, a shorter hospital stay and a less traumatic recovery than traditional surgery.