Any serious illness befalling a child causes vast emotional and physical strain for both the child and the family. The neurosurgical problems in the pediatric age group are often complex and difficult.
AfterMother treat the neurological problems which are quite different from those generally seen by the general neurosurgeons. They have specialization in treating the pediatric neurosurgical diseases. Often children with neurosurgical diseases need frequent and regular follow-ups throughout their childhood. Hence the neurosurgeons forge a longstanding relationship with the child so that the child is relaxed and comfortable. Sometimes children cannot say what is bothering them. They may not be able to answer the medical questions and may not be cooperative or patient while undergoing a medical examination. Hence pediatric neurosurgeons should have extra knowledge on how to interact with their patients.
The following are the neurosurgical disorders in children:
Arachnoid cysts - These are relatively common benign and asymptomatic lesions which are related to occurring with the central nervous system, both within the intracranial compartment and within the spinal canal.
Brain and spinal cord tumors - These tumors are found in the tissue within the bony spinal column or skull which builds-up the central nervous system. These tumors can be found in any part of the body and occurs when the genes regulating the cell growth become damaged or mutated.
Brachial plexus injury - It is an injury to the brachial plexus, the network of nerves conducting the signals from the spinal cord to the arm, shoulder and hand. These nerves originate in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eight cervical (C5-C8) and the first thoracic (T1) spinal nerves. These injuries can occur due to shoulder trauma, tumors or inflammation.
Chiari malformation - They are structural defects in the cerebellum, a part of the brain controlling balance.
Cerebral palsy - It is a set of disorders related to the functioning of the brain and the nervous system which affects the learning, movement, hearing ability in a child. This can be of various types such as dyskinesia, spastic, hypnotic, ataxic, and mixed.
Craniofacial Syndromes - They occur when the soft plates of a baby’s skull close too soon or in an unusual way
Congenital Malformations of the Brain and Spine - Congenital abnormalities called malformations are conditions that affect the form and function of the nervous system. As there are many types of the congenital malformations of the bones and soft tissue of the head and spine, some of it is mild while some are severe but correctable with surgery by a pediatric neurosurgeon
Epilepsy - This condition is a brain disorder resulting in recurring seizures that occur when the neurons or the nerve cell clusters within the brain are sending incorrect signals.
Craniosynostosis - This is a birth defect in which one or more joints in between the bones of the skull closes early or prematurely, prior to the formation of the brain in an infant. The head is misshapen and the brain cannot grow in its original shape during this condition.
Neural tube disorders - These are birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord. Often they happen in the first month of pregnancy before a woman even knows that she is pregnant. The most common neural tube defects are syringomyelia, spina bifida, tethered cord, anencephaly, etc.
Hydrocephalus - This is a condition where there is excess accumulation of fluid inside the brain which can be either present at the time of birth or congenital.
Skeletal dysplasia - It is a medical term for what people refer to as dwarfism. This is an umbrella term which includes hundreds of conditions affecting the child’s bone and cartilage growth.
Vascular and Cerebrovascular disorders - The flow of blood inside the brain is referred to as Cerebrovascular. When a part of the brain is temporarily or permanently affected by lack of blood flow or bleeding it causes Cerebrovascular diseases.
Traumatic brain and spinal injuries - You can rely on pediatric neurosurgeons in India for expert evaluation and treatment if your child experiences a traumatic brain or a spine injury. Our coordinated team of pediatric specialists carefully assesses the child, form a diagnosis, develop and implement a treatment plan tailored for your child’s needs.
Spasticity - A condition of muscle disorder categorized by the inability to control the tight or stiff muscles. When the central nervous system causes an imbalance of the signals this results in the condition of spasticity. This imbalance can be seen in people suffering from multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy and stroke.
Pediatric Spinal Disorders - The pediatric spinal disorders treatment and diagnosis varies from the adult spinal disorders. A large number of traumatic, neoplastic, developmental, and congenital disorders can occur in pediatric age group.
