Nervous System Conditions and Disorders we Treat

The Division of Neurosurgery offers state of the art surgical management of disorders of the nervous system including:

Abnormal Pituitary

When a person has an abnormality of the pituitary gland, it produces either too much or too little of a particular hormone, which can lead to a number of other disorders. In many an instance, the pituitary gland may show an abnormal appearance but may be a normal variation amongst people.

Anaplastic Astrocytoma

Astrocytomas are tumors that grow from the glial cells and make up almost 50% of childhood brain tumors, frequently occurring in children between 5-9 years of age.

Arachnoid Cysts

Arachnoid cysts are fluid filled sacs or cavities that appear on the arachnoid membrane and can present in many locations on the brain and/or spinal cord.

Bone Dysplasia (Dwarfism)

Dwarfism (also known as achondroplasia) is a type of short stature. There are hundreds of different medical conditions that can affect ultimate size and/or the growth of an infant.

Brain Abscess/Subdural Empyema

Subdural empyema and brain abscess are serious infections of the brain where pus accumulates inside or around the brain. An urgent intervention is often necessary.

Chiari Malformation

Please see Syringomyelia for further information.

Diabetes Insipidus

Diabetes insipidus is a rare disorder characterized by extreme thirst and the passing of large amounts of dilute urine.

Encephalocele

An encephalocele is a rare disorder where the bones of a fetus's skull do not close all the way resulting in a space through which the tissues surrounding the brain and brain tissue itself bulges.

Epilepsy

Childhood epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes an infant or a child to have repeated seizures over time. Seizures, also known as convulsions, are episodes in which brain activity is disturbed, causing changes in attention or behavior.

Hamartoma

A Hamartoma is a benign, or noncancerous tumor. It is a mixture of normal tissues/cells that grow abnormally in the place where the tissue/cells normally are found.

Head and Spine Trauma

Head and spine trauma refer to injuries or accidents that affect an individual’s brain and/or spinal cord.

Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus is primarily an excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain. There are many cause of hydrocephalus, which can be congenital or acquired in nature. In some children, the cause remains unknown.

Inflammatory Brain or Spine Disease

Inflammations of the brain and spinal cord are usually caused by infections from bacteria, viruses or other germs. Others may be caused by genetic abnormalities.

Macrocephaly

When a child has a head circumference that is larger than normal the medical term is macrocephaly. Most often these children may have an accelerated growth in the first few months after delivery and often have a family history of macrocephaly.

Meningocele

Please see Myelomeningocele for further information.

Metopic Synostosis

When the sutures in the middle of the forehead of an infant close earlier than they should, it’s known as metopic synotosis. A triangular pointed skull is a noticeable sign of this condition.

Movement Disorders

Please see Spasticity and Movement Disorders for further information.

Moyamoya Disease

Moyamoya disease is a rare disease, frequently seen in children, that causes the blood vessels in the brain to narrow. There are many causes for this disease and treatment is tailored according to the severity of the disease.

Myelomeningocele

A myelomeningocele is a bulge or sac of the fluid that surround the spinal cord. Spina bifida refers to the specific gap in the bony spinal column that protects the spinal cord.

Nervous System Disorders

Any condition that adversely affects the function of any part of the nervous system is called a nervous system disorder.

Neural Tube Defects

A neural tube defect is a birth defect that occurs very early in the development of a fetus, often during the first month of pregnancy, where the brain, spinal cord and spinal column do not develop normally.

Neurofibromatosis

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a medical term that refers to a group of three unique but related disorders of the nervous system: NF1, NF2 and schwannomatosis.

Neurofibrosarcoma

Neurofibrosarcoma is a rare type of malignant cancer in children that develops in the cells of the sheath of the arms and legs, spreading along the nerves.

Optic Pathway Glioma

Glioma is a specific type of slow growing tumor that starts in one of the cells of the brain or spinal cord. When this tumor grows on or around the visual system it is known as an optic pathway glioma.

Peripheral Nerve Injuries

Please see Brachial Plexus Injuries for further information.

Peripheral Neuropathy

The peripheral nerves are the vast network of nerves that transmits messages from the central nervous system to the rest of the body. When these nerves don’t function normally it is known as a peripheral neuropathy.

Pseudotumor Cerebri

Pseudotumor cerebri is a condition characterized by headaches and visual disturbances without an underlying brain tumor.

Seizures

A seizure is a sudden abnormal burst of electrical activity in one or more parts of the brain that interrupt the normal brain signals and result in a wide variety of symptoms such as loss of conciousness and uncontrollable muscle spasms.

Spina Bifida

Please see Myelomeningocele for further information.

Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord is a group of nerves that run down the back of a person that carries messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Acute spinal cord injury in children is fairly uncommon, frequently occurs in adolescents/ young adults and are often male.

Syringomyelia

Syringomyelia is a rare chronic condition where fluid accumulates (syrinx) within the spinal cord. The most common cause of syringomyelia is Chiari malformation. Other conditions that may cause syringomyelia include spinal cord tumors, tethered spinal cord or shunt malfunction.

Tectal Gliomas

A tectal glioma is a slow growing, generally benign, brain tumor in children 3-16 years of age.

Tethered Spinal Cord

A birth defect where a spinal cord is held fixed or held taught by a band, this causes the spinal cord to stretch as the child grows

Thalamic Astrocytoma and Hypothalamic Astrocytoma

An astrocytoma, a common type of glioma, is a form of brain cancer that starts in brain cells, known as astrocytes, that support and nourish other brain cells.

Transverse myelitis

TM is a rare inflammatory disease of the spinal cord (frequently the middle or thoracic part of the cord) that damages the protective covering (myelin) of the nerves ( both for movement and sensation) that transmit information between the brain and the rest of the body.

Vascular Malformations

A vascular malformation is an abnormality where clusters of blood vessels develop during fetal development.

Ventriculomegaly

Ventriculomegaly is a congenital condition in which the ventricles of a fetus/baby are abnormally large.