Pediatric Neurosurgery

DIVISION OF PEDIATRIC NEUROSURGERY

The Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at British Columbia's Children's Hospital (BCCH) is the major referral centre for pediatric neurosurgical conditions in the province of British Columbia. The Division has established itself as one of the foremost pediatric neurosurgical units in Canada and is acclaimed internationally as a leader in pediatric neurosurgery. The Division currently comprises three full-time pediatric neurosurgeons: namely, Dr. Paul Steinbok who is head of the division, Dr. D. Douglas Cochrane and Dr. Ash Singhal. All three neurosurgeons are fully trained in pediatric neurosurgery and have limited their practices to the care of children with pediatric neurosurgical conditions.

The Division performs approximately 300 neurosurgical operations yearly, and addresses the full range of neurosurgical conditions in children. These include surgeries for brain and spinal tumors, Chiari malformations, Moya Moya disease, syringomyelia, craniosynostosis, hydrocephalus, spina bifida, tethered cord, epilepsy, head injuries and cerebral palsy, among others. The neurosurgeons are experienced with neuroendoscopic and image guided neurosurgery.

The Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery has an ongoing quality assurance program, with regular assessments of complications, mortalities and outcomes. Our Division has consistently had among the shortest postoperative stays in Canada for a variety of neurosurgical conditions, including major craniotomies and shunt procedures, attesting to the low rate of postoperative complications. We also have one of the lowest rates of pediatric neurosurgical operations per unit population in North America, and this in part reflects the careful thoughtful approach of the neurosurgeons to the management of neurosurgical conditions and the ability of the neurosurgical team to achieve enduring results. We have achieved the lowest rates of blood transfusion in the world for open procedures to correct various types of craniosynostosis (see cranio-facial program).

The complications of neurological disease and their treatments are often life long. Some of these complications are not avoidable but may are. Using comprehensive preoperative imaging, intraoperative monitoring and structured techniques including the BCCH surgical safety checklist, modified for pediatric surgery, the Division leads the Canadian pediatric surgical community in providing safe surgery for children with neurological disease.