Pediatrics

The Division of Neurological Surgery at Seattle Children's Hospital offers comprehensive care for patients with diseases and disorders of the nervous system and its supporting structures.

There are eight subspecialty programs within this division, all involving multidisciplinary care for children. Drs. Richard G. Ellenbogen, Jeffrey G. Ojemann and Samuel R. Browd provide comprehensive pediatric neurosurgical care encompassing the entire spectrum of pediatric neurosurgical disease.

Below is information about these eight specialty programs... to learn more about these specialties, please link to Neurosurgery at Seattle Children's Hospital.

1. Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program: This comprehensive program of treating Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors is centered around the pediatric neurosurgery, hematology-oncology, radiation oncology and neurology services and offers the most up-to-date treatments available. The research arm includes National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other extramural-supported efforts for original studies on the molecular aspects of pediatric tumors. Research is performed at Seattle Children's Hospital, Center for Integrative Brain Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute, Fred Hutchinson Research Center, and the University of Washington Research Laboratories. The clinical service at Children's Hospital is part of the Cancer Care Group consortium of hematology-oncology protocols and is directed by Dr. J. Russell Geyer. The broad and aggressive pediatric neurosurgery effort includes skull base approaches to tumors, minimally invasive endoscopic neurosurgery, frameless stereotaxis and intra-operative adjuvant therapy; all are performed with capabilities for intra-operative electrophysiological monitoring.
   
   Learn more about Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors at Seattle Children's Hospital.
   
   
2. Craniofacial Program: This internationally renowned program is guided by specialists in pediatric neurosurgery, craniofacial plastic surgery, pediatrics, genetics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, ophthalmology and otolaryngology. This extensive, multidisciplinary clinic cares for patients from all over the country with cranio-synostosis, syndromal craniofacial anomalies, plagiocephaly from positional molding, facial tumors, craniofacial trauma and cleft-lip and palate. The research efforts are centered around understanding suture and bone biology at the molecular and cellular level. Drs. Joseph S. Gruss and Richard Hopper direct these clinics which offer innovative treatments for these disorders.
   
   
3. Congenital Birth Defects Clinic: This pioneering multidisciplinary clinic provides long term care for children with hydrocephalus of all etiologies, neural tube defects, spina bifida, tethered spinal cord, syringomyelia, lipomeningomyelocle and other less common abnormalities of development. A wide array of pediatric subspecialty services participate in this clinic, including pediatric neurology, urology, orthopedics, general surgery, neurogenetics, neurological surgery, and other allied health care providers. Neurosurgical areas of interest include treatments for hydrocephalus, endoscopic ventricular surgery, Chiari malformations and syringomyelia, CSF flow physiology and utilization of advanced imaging techniques.
   
   
4. Comprehensive Epilepsy Program: This surgical epilepsy program is part of the University of Washington's comprehensive epilepsy program. Epileptologists, neuro-psychologists, social workers and neurosurgeons make up the management team. Awake intra-operative mapping, intra-operative electrocorticography and pre-resection invasive monitoring are used. A broad range of surgical expertise is offered, such as hemispherectomy, corpus callosotomy, vagal stimulation, temporal lobectomy, extra-temporal resection and subpial resection. Individual patient cases are reviewed prior to surgery at a weekly conference attended by surgeons, neurologists, and neuro-psychologists from the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), Harborview Medical Center (HMC) and Seattle Children's Hospital. The Surgical Epilepsy Program is directed by Dr. Jeffrey Ojemann. Patients are seen through the Epilepsy Service, directed by Dr. Novotny of Neurology.
   
   Learn more about Epilepsy and Epilepsy Research at Children's Hospital.
   
   
5. Pediatric Neurovascular Team: This team of neurosurgeons, neuro-interventional radiologists and radiation therapists treat the entire spectrum of cerebrovascular diseases of the brain and spine. The pediatric diseases treated include arteriovenous malformations (AVM), cavernous malformations, spinal malformations, Moya-Moya disease and aneurysms. The multidisciplinary team involves neurosurgeons, Drs. Samuel R. Browd, Richard G. Ellenbogen, and interventional neuro-radiology. This team utilizes innovative, state-of-the-art technologies to evaluate and treat vascular disorders. Radiosurgery capability includes both Gamma Knife® and LINAC Scalpel®. Functional MRI is used for cortical localization and mapping. The interventional surgical capabilities include AVM resection preceded by embolization and cortical mapping, cerebrovascular bypass, and revascularization procedures. Similar approaches are utilized in the treatment of cerebral aneurysms and Moya-Moya disease.
   
   Learn more about Vascular Diseases of the Brain and Spinal Cord.
   
   
6. Complex Spine Service: Congenital and acquired deformities of the spine are treated by a team of neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons including Drs. Samuel R. Browd, Anthony Avellino, Wally Krengel and, Kit Song. Spinal cord tumors, complex congenital deformities, spondylolisthesis/spondylolysis, fractures and deformities are repaired with the most modern spinal instrumentation techniques and intra-operative monitoring. Postoperative rehabilitation for traumatic injuries is undertaken at Seattle Children’s rehabilitative medicine unit.
   
   
7. Spasticity Management Team: This team consists of neurosurgeon Dr. Samuel R. Browd, neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, development pediatricians, physical and rehabilitation medicine physicians and physical therapists. Selective dorsal rhizotomy, baclofen pumps, botulism toxin injections and tendon releases are all part of the armamentarium to treat the wide spectrum of children with spasticity. This multidisciplinary clinic is continuously analyzing outcomes and improving methods for treating these children.
   
   
8. Hydrocephalus: The most common cause for pediatric brain surgery, hydrocephalus is treated by Drs. Browd, Ellenbogen and Ojemann. Our institution performs upwards of 200 shunt operations per year. Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Washington are part of the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network and participate in multicenter clinical trials. Basic science into the cause and treatment of hydrocephalus are actively being pursued with the collaboration of Dr. Nino Ramirez of the Center for Integrative Brain Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute. We are also fortunate to have an active and highly supportive Hydrocephalus Guild which promotes education and research into hydrocephalus.
   
   Learn more about Hydrocephalus.

Patient Care Introduction | Aneurysms | Brain Mapping | Case Studies | Chiari Malformation
Congenital Abnormalities | Epilepsy | Movement Disorders | Moyamoya Disease | Pain and Spasticity
Pediatrics | Peripheral Nerves | Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy | Spine
Stroke and Vascular Lesions | Trauma | Tumors

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