Neurology
Specialized Programs
The Division of Child Neurology’s pediatric neurologists apply the most advanced diagnostic technologies and treatments and work closely with a multidisciplinary team of pediatric neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, oncologists, and other specialists to provide programs that address specific neurological disorders or diseases in infants and children.
The Children’s Tumor Foundation – the largest national neurofibromatosis organization – recognizes the Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Clinic as an affiliate clinic. This distinction is given only to those clinics that provide outstanding medical care, foster research, expand public awareness, and provide support for patients and their families as part of their clinical responsibilities.
For more information and to schedule an appointment, please visit our Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Clinic.
Pediatric Craniofacial Center
Physicians from the Division of Child Neurology are members of the Komansky Center’s craniofacial and cleft team, an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals dedicated to the care of infants, children, and adolescents born with malformations of the face, mouth, ears, and skull, and children who require reconstructive work following trauma, burns, and cancer. These dedicated specialists restore lives as they help improve oral and facial functions and the appearance of children with these conditions.
The Pediatric Craniofacial Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center provides treatment and healing for children and young adults with conditions involving the face, skull and jaw. For more information, visit the Pediatric Craniofacial Center.
Our neurology healthcare team also specializes in:
Neonatal Neurology
The Division’s neurologists play an integral role in the care of newborn infants with abnormalities of the brain such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (damage to cells in the brain and spinal cord from inadequate oxygen). They have demonstrated that reducing the baby’s core body temperature for several days while monitoring their brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG) can reduce long-term damage.
Traumatic Brain Injury
The management of children with traumatic brain injury requires the coordination of multiple pediatric sub-specialties and sophisticated technologies in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Cutting-edge treatment is provided by the pediatric intensivist, neurosurgeon, neurologist, neuroradiologist, critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, and rehabilitation team. From the moment a child is admitted to the PICU, care is designed to maximize the potential to recover from this devastating event. The family-centered approach ensures that parents are always actively involved in their child’s care plan. As part of its ongoing effort to achieve even higher levels of excellence, the PICU is participating in international research designed to develop new strategies to further improve outcomes after brain injury.
Neurocritical Care
Pediatric neurologists as well as the Hospital’s pediatric neurosurgeons and critical care physicians in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) have extensive experience caring for children who have sustained a traumatic brain/spinal injury, status epilepticus, encephalitis, meningitis, or have gone into a coma. The rapid availability of neurodiagnostic studies and physicians who can review, interpret, and work together to intervene results in optimal outcomes. This expertise is also provided to high-risk patients who undergo cardiac or brain surgery.
Spasticity
Children with brain and spinal cord disorders frequently have abnormalities of extremity movement – spasticity, or tightness – that impair their movement and interfere with their care. The close collaboration of neurologists in the Division of Child Neurology with neurosurgeons, orthopedists, physiatrists, nurse practitioners, as well as physical and occupational therapists, allows us to treat spasticity with a wide range of interventions, including Baclofen pumps. The neurologists and neurosurgeons can provide ongoing consultation and/or management of spasticity.
Stroke and Intracranial Bleeding
Pediatric neurovascular interventional radiologists provide rapid assessment and intervention for children with strokes and intracranial bleeding to prevent subsequent catastrophic events. Using specific imaging techniques and surgical tools, interventional radiologists and neurosurgeons at the Komansky Center for Children’s Health have a vast experience in treating conditions such as arteriovenous malformations, cerebral aneurysms, and Moya-Moya disease.
Tumors of the Brain and Spine
The Division of Child Neurology, in conjunction with neurosurgery, neuroradiology, radiation therapists, oncologists, and physicians at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, offers state-of-the-art evaluations for children who have – or are at risk for – tumors of the nervous system. The multidisciplinary program receives referrals from across the country to treat patients who have neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis. Novel neurosurgical techniques are being developed and applied to treat the tumors and minimize complications and secondary conditions.
Neurogenetics
The Division’s neurologists work with the Department of Genetics to investigate the development of neurologic problems with the goal of providing medical interventions, predicting outcomes, and assessing familial risks for recurrence. These disorders include:
- malformations of the brain
- unexplained mental retardation and cerebral palsy
- autism
- neurodegenerative diseases
- other familial neurological conditions
