Research & Innovation |Overview
Our team is always looking for ways to improvebrain surgeryand make the experience easier for children and their families. Our breakthroughs — taking place in our clinics, as well as in our basic science laboratories — play a critical role in your child’s health. We are continually developing and refining minimally invasive techniques as alternatives to traditional brain and spinal cord surgeries.
Our team is also actively involved in research projects to improve understanding of why brain diseases occur, and to help develop better methods of early detection to ensure that these conditions have as little impact as possible on a child’s developing brain.
A few of our recent innovations include:
3-D printing for surgical planning
神经外科团队是3-D打印技术的早期采用者，与波士顿儿童的合作紧密合作Simulator Program (SIMPeds). SIMPeds engineers can quickly produce life-sized models of patients’ brains, which allows surgeons to more precisely plan surgery and to rehearse different approaches. The 3-D models provide details not normally visible to surgeons before surgery.
ETV/CPC for hydrocephalus
In 2000, one of the neurosurgeons on our team,Dr. Benjamin Warf, pioneered a treatment for hydrocephalus in infants as an alternative to shunting. The treatment, calledETV/CPC, combines two procedures: endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) and choroid plexus cauterization procedure (CPC). Published research has demonstrated that ETV/CPC continues to provide good outcomes for babies with hydrocephalus.
皮拉氏症
皮拉氏症is a type of surgery forMoyamoyathat was developed at Boston Children’s in 1985. Since that time, it has become the mainstay of treatment for moyamoya. Most children who have pial synangiosis are released from the hospital within a few days, and usually need only regular exams and monitoring as follow-up. Long term outcomes demonstrate patients can lead productive, independent lives following surgery.
Laser therapy for deep brain lesions
Boston Children’s is one of a handful of centers offering a new, minimally invasive laser therapy orlaser ablation surgery去除在大脑内部太深的肿瘤或患病的脑组织，无法使用通常的神经外科方法安全地进入。对于由大脑内部深处的异常引起的脑肿瘤或癫痫发作引起的癫痫发作的儿童，此过程是一个绝佳的选择，他们没有受到药物治疗的帮助，并且通常将手术视为不安全。
SEEG
Boston Children’s is a leading destination for pediatric stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) in the U.S. SEEG is a procedure in which electrodes are fed on tiny wires through paths drilled into the skull. These electrodes can reach deeper into a child’s brain — and can present a better opportunity for clinicians to determine the source of seizure activity. SEEG is less invasive and better tolerated in kids. When coupled with robotic guidance, it reduces time in the operating room and allows surgeons to implant electrodes in places not typically possible.