Pediatric Neurosurgery

Ochsner’s pediatric neurosurgeons serve residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and beyond, with most of the neurosurgery procedures performed at Ochsner Children’s Hospital, which has been named among the top children’s hospitals in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. Ochsner Medical Center also offers advanced neurosurgical procedures for kids and has repeatedly been named the Best Hospital in Louisiana. Additionally, our Ochsner LSU Health partnership offers North Louisiana’s only pediatric neurosurgery services and is renowned for providing highly specialized care for children. Care before and after neurosurgery is available at Ochsner locations throughout the region, and virtual visits before and after surgery are available when appropriate.

Our neurosurgeons offer treatment for the full range of conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord, including:

• Birth defects

• Cleft lip or cleft palate

• Epilepsy

• Hydrocephalus — fluid in the brain

• Pediatric brain tumors

• Traumatic injuries

Our team also provides fetal surgery, or surgery performed on a baby while it is still in the womb, for conditions such as spina bifida.

When your child needs neurosurgery, our pediatric neurosurgeons are here for you. Our neurosurgical experts use traditional techniques to treat a variety of conditions. Most of the time, however, minimally invasive surgery is the best choice.

With pediatric brain and spinal cord surgeries, minimally invasive procedures reduce incision size, scarring and, often, recovery time.

Minimally invasive treatment options include:

• Laser ablation. Special imaging identifies the root of epilepsy. MRI-guided laser technology destroys these brain cells. As a result, epilepsy symptoms are reduced or eliminated.

• Robot-assisted surgery. Instead of using surgical instruments by hand, the surgeon sits in front of a console. Using joysticks, the surgeon guides thin, robotic arms with specialized tools at their ends. Robotic assistance allows precise movements, which are helpful in tight spaces.

• Radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiosurgery. The Novalis Radiosurgery Program (a type of treatment) allows radiation beams to be precisely shaped and quickly delivered to the site of a cancerous or noncancerous tumor. As a result, the best possible treatment dose can be quickly delivered to the tumor site while protecting healthy tissue.

One unique surgery we offer is pediatric rhizotomy. The goal of rhizotomy is to reduce pediatric spasticity, which causes stiff muscles and joints and makes it hard to move or even talk. During the procedure, the surgeon disconnects nerves within the spinal cord. Ochsner Children’s Hospital is the only location in the region offering this pediatric procedure.

We also offer child-friendly diagnostic services. Our advanced imaging technologies expose your child to minimal or no radiation. And if your child requires an MRI scan, our techniques allow us to scan your child without sedation.

Prior to pediatric neurosurgery, we use 3D virtual-planning software to provide unparalleled precision to surgery. With this technology, the surgeon and family can visualize the surgical area and see how the surgery will eradicate the issue. As a result, surgeries are more precise, so your child spends less time in the operating room and more time being a kid.

In some cases, Ochsner’s maternal fetal medicine physicians detect a potential neurosurgical condition before a baby is born. They then refer the mother-to-be to a pediatric neurosurgeon.

The neurosurgery team then talks with the expecting parents. They help the parents understand their unborn child’s diagnosis and treatment options.

This promotes comprehensive care even before a baby’s first breath. It also gives parents comfort and confidence knowing they’re receiving expert care and instant access to our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and Louisiana’s largest neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Infants and children undergoing pediatric neurosurgery benefit from a team approach. That’s why Ochsner offers a multidisciplinary approach for all neurological conditions.

A few pediatric specialists who may participate in your child’s brain or spine surgery include:

• Neuroendocrinologists

• Neurosurgeons

• Nurses

• Oncologists

• Radiation oncologists

If you’re not moving ahead, you’re falling behind, and Ochsner pediatric neurosurgeons are constantly seeking ways to improve. Day after day, we research how to improve patient safety and outcomes. And we make use of other research and clinical trials taking place across the Ochsner system.

Thanks to recent efforts by the Ochsner cancer care team, our pediatric neurosurgeons gained access to genomic sequencing of pediatric brain tumors. Because of this, our patients get tailored care. Their treatment is as unique as their genetic makeup, increasing the likelihood of success.

We do this because we’re committed to furthering care for young patients needing neurosurgery. Our young patients deserve the best. We’re here to make sure they get it.