Neurosurgery/Craniofacial Surgery

The neurosurgery capabilities at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital span the full range and all phases of neurosurgical procedures in the pediatric age group. Surgeries for treating brain and spinal cord tumors include skills using laser surgery, microneurosurgery, endoscopic surgery for minimally invasive surgery, image-guided stereotaxic surgery, as well as conventional stereotaxic surgery.

Surgical capabilities include skills for treating various anomalies of the central nerve system, such as myelomeningocele and other spinal cord anomalies, as well as anomalies of the brain. The division practices a team approach for children with neural tube defects, conducts a multidisciplinary spina bifida clinic (myelomeningocele) and plays a key role on the hospital’s craniofacial team.

The neurosurgery division at Hope Children’s Hospital has earned a national reputation in neurotrauma, applying an innovative protocol for the treatment of pediatric head injury, particularly for the severely injured. The division has also earned a national reputation in surgery for craniosynostosis in children, is a national resource for innovation in the treatment of children with hydrocephalus, and sets the standard for the protocol in the treatment of newborns with an intraventricular hemorrhage. In addition, the division’s leading surgeon is responsible for the invention of a shunt device for the surgery of hydrocephalus.

The neurosurgical team at Hope Children’s Hospital emphasizes the importance of support for the family and optimal communication among the family, medical personnel and referring physicians. They also coordinate family support groups for children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida.