Neurosurgery

Our expertise

• Boston Children’s Hospital was among the first hospitals in the world to focus on pediatric neurosurgery as an individual specialty.
   
• Our neurosurgery team includes surgeons, physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, imaging professionals, psychologists and social workers who work together to deliver integrated, personalized care for every child.
   
• Our reputation for achievement; strengths in a rich assortment of subspecialties; commitment to minimally invasive surgical techniques; and prime location in Boston’s “health care hub” attract the world’s most skilled and accomplished medical and surgical professionals.
   
• Boston Children’s is one of the only pediatric hospitals in the world to dedicate full clinical programs to rare, life-threatening conditions like Moyamoya disease.

• Our doctors are involved in scientific research that offers new hope for children with brain, spine and nervous system disorders.
   
• Boston Children’s has developed and refined some of the most influential advances in pediatric neurosurgery, including:

• Pial synangiosis, a surgical procedure that relocates healthy blood vessels in the brain to combat Moyamoya disease

• Endoscopic third ventriculostomy, an alternative to traditional shunt placement for some children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida

• Linear accelerator radiosurgery, a highly efficient form of radiotherapy that targets tumors in the brain while minimizing damage to surrounding, healthy tissue

• Introduction of a non-invasive device that measures subtle changes in children’s head size, enabling earlier diagnosis of craniosynostosis and plagiocephaly
   
• Boston Children’s was the first pediatric hospital in the country to introduce Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in a neurosurgical operating room (OR). Our intraoperative MR allows doctors to view detailed, “real-time” images of the brain and spine while performing surgery.

Warf receives grant from John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Boston Children’s neurosurgeon Benjamin Warf, MD, has been named a 2012 MacArthur fellow, receiving a five-year, $500,000, “genius” award from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Read more about Dr. Warf and his recent research on pediatric hydrocephalus—as well as the one-time, minimally invasive operation he developed in Africa and is sharing with colleagues at Boston Children’s and around the world.

As childhood strokes increase, surgeons aim to reduce risks

NPR’s “Morning Edition” features Boston Children’s Edward Smith, MD, in a story about Moyamoya and the journey of 13-year-old Boston Children’s patient Maribel Ramos.

Taylor's Story: A Brain Tumor with a Positive Outcome

Shortly after 10 year-old Taylor began having headaches, a CT scan revealed a brain tumor that her doctor thought could be cancerous. Taylor's mother Lori decided to bring Taylor to see Dr. Alan Cohen at Boston Children's Hospital for treatment. Watch the video to learn more about Taylor's amazing story.

Miles’ Story

Affecting about one in 2,500 children, craniosynostosis is a disease in which the bone plates in a baby’s head fuse too early. Untreated, this can lead to excess pressure in the skull and learning disabilities, in addition to cosmetic deformity.To learn more about craniosynostosis, its treatment and baby Miles' story, click here.