Pediatric Neurosurgery

 At Brenner Children’s Hospital, pediatric neurosurgeons Alex Powers, M.D., and Dan Couture, M.D., provide innovative pediatric neurosurgical treatments and procedures. From fusing the spine to prevent instability in patients with Down’s syndrome, to treating spasticity with a state-of-the-art procedure called selective dorsal rhizotomy, our experts help children achieve a higher quality of life.

The pediatric section of the department of neurosurgery offers focused clinical care including: a spinal deformity clinic, a pediatric spasticity clinic, and expertise in treating pediatric brain tumors. In conjunction with the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma, clinicians are working to improve methods of preventing childhood head injuries and improve surgical outcomes in children.

Spinal Deformity Clinic
Patients who have been diagnosed with any type of severe spinal deformity can be treated at the region’s only spinal deformity clinic. Our experts treat a number of conditions including: spina bifida, congenital scoliosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, post traumatic spinal deformity, neuromuscular and adult degenerative scoliosis.

Our pediatric neurosurgeons work closely with our pediatric orthopaedic surgeons to form the best treatment plans for patients and map out the best surgical route to correct a patient’s spinal curvature. This multi-disciplinary approach helps ensure that our patients receive care best suited to them and their lifestyle.

The results are dramatic. Post-operatively, patients who were unable to sit or stand erect are able to sit normally in a wheelchair or walk with minimal assistive devices, if any.

Surgery can also reduce the amount of pain patients experience, giving them better quality of life. Our team addresses each case individually and provides the appropriate procedure that not only corrects spinal alignment, but also allows the patient as much normal spinal motion as possible. Spinal deformities are often debilitating. By improving spinal alignment, patients are often able to do something as simple as stand straighter or walk without a limp. It can make a world of difference in their quality of life as years of back pain is improved or even relieved. Many children are able to join group sports or participate in a more active and enjoyable lifestyle.