Neurosurgery

When surgery is necessary, every child deserves the safest, highest-quality pediatric care. Children’s Nebraska’s expert Pediatric Neurosurgery team uses evidence-based, data-driven practices and provides comprehensive diagnostic testing, medical consensus, a detailed plan of care and sophisticated treatment options so our patients can thrive.

Children’s world-class surgical suites, located in the Hubbard Center for Children, provide the most advanced and precise technology uniquely designed for even the smallest child. Our providers are compassionate and work with providers across specialties to offer the full spectrum of care. By utilizing the latest in minimally invasive surgical techniques and diagnostic tools, we can provide the best experiences and outcomes for our patients and families.

Our Specialists

What Sets Children’s Apart?

• We are the only hospital in the state dedicated solely to pediatric care.
• Children’s neurosurgeons use a family-centered approach to care, meaning we consider you and your child to be essential parts of our care team.
• Children’s is a leader in targeted epilepsy surgery and is the only pediatric program in Nebraska to use Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) for thermal ablation of brain tumors and epilepsy foci, which provides a less invasive alternative to traditional surgery and preserves healthy brain function.
• We are the sole program in Nebraska offering pediatric minimally invasive endoscopic procedures for skull base lesions.
• We use advanced exoscope technology, allowing for three-dimensional, highly magnified views of neural and vascular structures to provide the utmost precision during surgery.
• We are the only program in the state utilizing Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI) for the resection of brain and spinal tumors, allowing for precise surgical planning and maximizing the chances of safe, complete tumor removal.
• We use a Robotic Surgery Assistant (ROSA) so we can perform complex surgeries with the utmost precision and minimally invasive techniques.
• We are the only program in Nebraska offering Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) for spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. We strive to improve the quality of life for these children by reducing muscle stiffness and improving mobility.

A Team Approach to Care

Children’s Neurosurgery team participates in several multidisciplinary clinics, working hand-in-hand with providers across specialties. These clinics include:

• Neurofibromatosis Clinic: The Neurofibromatosis Clinic includes a skilled team of pediatric providers from across many specialties. Your child’s neurosurgeon will collaborate with a team that could consist of a neurologist, oncologist, medical geneticist/genetic counselor, ophthalmologist, orthopedic surgeon, plastic surgeon, physiatrist, neuropsychologist, social worker and case manager.
• Complex Care Clinic: This clinic treats children who have medically complex conditions, like spina bifida or cerebral palsy. In addition to your child’s neurosurgeon, this team includes specialists from developmental pediatrics, dietary, genetics, neurology, orthopedics, pulmonology, psychology, social work, nursing and urology. The team provides evaluation, care and medical case management, including coordination of routine medical testing and consultations with appropriate sub-specialists.
• Craniofacial Clinic: At the Craniofacial Clinic, we work to restore normal facial features, improve functioning and enhance quality of life for children with craniofacial conditions. We are the only clinic in the region that includes a team comprised of a craniofacial surgeon, pediatric neurosurgeon, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, genetic specialist, pediatrician, orthodontist and oral and maxillofacial prosthodontist.
• Epilepsy Center: The team at the level 4 Epilepsy Center works together to diagnose, treat, and manage symptoms of epilepsy and seizure disorders. We specialize in state-of-the-art minimally invasive epilepsy surgery with iMRI and ROSA robotics.
• Neuro-oncology Clinic: Our skilled team brings together specialists in the fields of neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, radiation therapy, radiology, pathology, critical care medicine, social work, and rehabilitation therapy to treat children who have cancers of the brain or nervous system.
• Fetal Care Center: This skilled team works closely with parents-to-be whose babies have been identified as high risk for serious birth defects or health conditions and may need advanced care before, during or after delivery. They provide a coordinated plan of care to help ensure the best outcomes.

Conditions We Treat

Our neurosurgery team treats injuries (such as those caused by a fall or blow to the head), as well as both congenital and acquired disorders.

• Congenital disorders are ones that your child was born with.
• Acquired disorders are ones that your child develops after birth.

The conditions we treat include:

• Epilepsy
• Tumors of the brain and spine
• Brain and spine trauma
• Hydrocephalus
• Chiari malformations
• Spina bifida/myelomeningocele repair
• Tethered spinal cord
• Cerebral palsy/spasticity
• Intractable epilepsy
• Birth-related injuries
• Craniosynostosis (skull deformities)
• Arachnoid cysts
• Blood vessel lesions, such as arteriovenous malformations