Pioneers in Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery
Surgeons at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital’s Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, alongside UH Seidman Cancer Center, 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.
Widely published in peer-reviewed journal articles, our neurosurgery team regularly contributes to:
- The Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- The Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology
Our pediatric neurosurgeons have also directed many courses on minimally invasive neurosurgery sponsored by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and other organizations. UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital specialists remain at the forefront of a field that continually offers promising new technologies and approaches.
Leading-Edge Tools for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery
Our pediatric surgeons have taken an active role in the development of endoscopic neurosurgery. They have invented several novel surgical tools, including:
- Intracranial neuroendoscope (in conjunction with Codman and Shurtleff, Inc. and Karl Storz, Inc.)
- Transoral endoscope (in conjunction with Nobles-Lai Engineering)
- Smart Start, a minimally invasive brain dissector
Using endoscopes (small telescopes introduced into the brain through tiny openings in the skull), computers and image guidance devices, surgery is safer and less traumatic for the patient. These high-resolution devices help surgeons visualize their targets with pinpoint precision.
The Smart Start computer-guided balloon retractor helps surgeons access deep-seated tumors in the brain with precise accuracy, much like the technology used in aviation to land planes. Our division holds the provisional patent on this device.
Our physicians also use endoscopy to treat other intracranial conditions such as hydrocephalus (water on the brain), as well as brain malformations, cysts and tumors with minimal damage to healthy brain tissue.