Pediatric Neurosurgery

Overview

In collaboration with the paediatric neurology Division at the ACH, paediatric neurosurgery has lead the way in development of Western Canada’s first paediatric neuroscience unit. The Pediatric Neurosurgical Program in comprehensive, offering all aspects of pediatric neurosurgical care including management of hydrocephalus, brain and spinal injury, myelomeningocele, other forms of spinal dysraphism, refractory epilepsy surgery, spasticity, craniofacial disorders, and pediatric brain tumor (in conjunction with the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Group).

Pediatric Neurosurgery is a division of Pediatric Surgery (Department of Surgery) and the members are also part of the Division of Adult Neurosurgery (Department of Clinical Neurosciences). There are currently three Pediatric Neurosurgeons, all of whom participate in adult Neurosurgery Programs. Dr. Hamilton is the Head of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Dr. Hader and Dr Gallagher are the other Division members. Dr. Terry Myles, the former Head of Pediatric Neurosurgery, has recently retired from full-time neurosurgical practice in Pediatric Neurosurgery. There are two Pediatricians who work in the Infant Cranial Screening and Remodeling Clinic. Kelly Bullivant is a full-time Pediatric Neurosurgical Nurse Practitioner who provides inpatient and outpatient pediatric neurosurgical care and two nurse clinicians (Valerie Sherwood and Linda Gill) who provide outpatient pediatric neurosurgical care. 

Approximately 210 elective and emergent surgeries occurred in 2008 at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.  Ninety-seven percent of the surgical patients required inpatient stays. The average length of stay for Neurosurgical patients was 5 days compared to the average of 2.9 days for the whole inpatient surgery population. We are able to offer access to unique treatment modalities such as the intra-operative MRI theatre for assisting in the surgical treatment of epilepsy and brain tumor, a comprehensive neuro-endoscopic program, and the Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program for selected cerebrovascular malformations and brain tumors.

Neurosurgery clinics run every week. Clinics include General Neurosurgery, Craniofacial Clinic, Infant Cranial Screening and Remodeling Clinic (Pediatricians), and Myelomeningocele Clinic. Approximately 1700 outpatient visits occurred in 2008.

Clinical Program Examples

A comprehensive Craniofacial Program is coordinated through ACH. A community-based parent education and screening program involves Public Health Nurses and Nurses from ACH. Two Pediatricians coordinate the Infant Cranial Screening and Remodeling Clinic. Infant patients, who require Cranial Remodeling Headbands for correction of positional-related cranial deformities, can have their head scanned in a state-of-the-art Laser Unit. This allows creation of a custom treatment headband for each unique patient. Finally, a monthly Craniofacial Clinic attended by Dr Mark Hamilton and Dr Don McPhalen from Plastic Surgery evaluates new patients for surgical treatment of craniosynostosis and provides long-term followup for all surgically treated children.
An Intrathecal Baclofen pump can be offered to treat appropriate patients with severe spasticity. These patients undergo screening by Dr Hader and the Program Nurse Clinician, Val Sherwood. They must demonstrate a successful response to intrathecal injection of Baclofen through a lumbar catheter. This treatment can provide a dramatic improvement in quality of life for these severely affected patients.

Other Activities

The Pediatric Neurosurgical Division members participate in local and national administrative and educational functions. They also lead and collaborate in clinical research involving pediatric and adult hydrocephalus, epilepsy and brain tumor. During the last five years, the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery members have published 14 peer-reviewed manuscripts. There are also 4 peer-reviewed manuscripts in-press, 1 manuscript undergoing peer-review, 5 book chapters published or in-press and 45 published abstracts. In addition, Drs Hamilton and Hader have collaborated on 8 successful research grant applications and been local principal investigators for 7 Clinical Trials. The Pediatric Neurosurgery Division is an active participant of the Canadian Pediatric Neurosurgery Research Study Group.

Staff

Neurosurgeons: Dr Mark G Hamilton (Division Head), Dr Walter Hader, and Dr Clare Gallagher
Pediatricians: Dr Heather Graham and Dr Keith Jorgensen
Nurse Practioner: Kelly Bullivant
Nurse Clinicians: Valerie Sherwood and Linda Gill

 

Updated: 2009-04-30