The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Joint Pediatric Section Annual Meeting is a key gathering for pediatric neurosurgeons in North America and beyond. Last year, the meeting brought together a record-breaking 520 registrants in December in New York and NewYork-Presbyterian served as one of three partnering institutions that helped plan the event.
Mark M. Souweidane, M.D., FACS, FAAP, vice chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, was instrumental in planning the meeting alongside his fellow NewYork-Presbyterian colleagues, the other partnering medical institutions, AANS, and CNS. In addition to helping develop the meeting’s agenda, Dr. Souweidane presented a master techniques course on intracranial endoscopy and served as a panelist during a scientific session on tumors.
Additional providers from NewYork-Presbyterian participated in planning or presenting at the meeting, including:
- Michelle Buontempo, MSN, R.N., CCRN, CPNP
- Jeffrey P. Greenfield, M.D., Ph.D.
- Neil A. Feldstein, M.D.
- Caitlin E. Hoffman, M.D.
- Taemin Oh, M.D.
Below, Dr. Souweidane discusses the highlights from the meeting and some of the novel research that was presented.
Delivering Medication to Treat Pediatric Brain Tumors with Enhanced Precision
Identifying a means of direct anti-tumor medication delivery to avoid systemic toxicity is one of many challenges in pediatric brain cancer that physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine are tackling.
Neurosurgery resident Alexandra Giantini Larsen, M.D., presented an abstract, Dosimetry Based Locoregional Drug Delivery for Pediatric Brain Tumors, which set the bar for where the global neurosurgery and neuro-oncology communities should be for implementing enhanced drug delivery.
Dr. Larsen was the recipient of the 2024 Meghan Rose Bradley Foundation Award for her research on drug delivery
In a phase 1 trial, Dr. Larsen and her colleagues used a convection-enhanced delivery (CED) platform to deliver volumes of antibody 124I-Omburtamab directly into lesions; based on results from positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, the team concluded that the dosimetry-based drug delivery method is efficient and improves therapeutic outcomes for patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). Dr. Larsen was the recipient of the 2024 Meghan Rose Bradley Foundation award presented at the meeting for her research on drug delivery.
Cutting-Edge Abstracts and Unique Presentations
In addition to Dr. Larsen’s research, there were three other abstracts presented by NewYork-Presbyterian physicians: There were four oral abstracts from NewYork-Presbyterian physicians presented at the meeting. In addition to Dr. Larsen’s research:
Dr. Oh presented two abstracts: one on the importance of shared decision-making when discussing spinal fusion versus tether for patients with thoracic scoliosis, and another on risk factors for complications and misalignment after hemivertebrectomy for congenital scoliosis.
Ranjit Rangnekar, M.S., MCh, DNB, FRCS, FEBNS, a pediatric neurosurgery fellow at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, presented an abstract under the guidance of Dr. Greenfield on the relationship between hypothalamic involvement and postoperative morbidity in endonasal pediatric craniopharyngioma resections.
Additionally, NewYork-Presbyterian physicians moderated and presented several sessions throughout the meeting:
- Dr. Greenfield presented on the topic of transition of care during the advanced practice providers session
- Dr. Oh moderated a session on spinal dysraphism
- Dr. Souweidane moderated a session on tumors
- Dr. Hoffman moderated a session on global/international neurosurgery
- Heidi Bender, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, presented on a panel about epilepsy
- Olivia Wingert, RN, presented during the masters of endoscopy practical session
Showcasing The Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship Program
For the first time, the 2024 meeting included a meet and greet hosted by Dr. Hoffman for fourth, fifth, and sixth year residents who expressed interest in training as a pediatric neurosurgery fellow at NewYork-Presbyterian. This event was a unique opportunity to highlight the bi-campus program to prospective candidates and recruit top-notch fellows.
The accredited Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship program is led by Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Feldstein and includes training in neuro-endoscopy, neuro-oncology, craniofacial, epilepsy, vascular, complex craniocervical, and spine surgery techniques.
What’s Coming Down the Pike in Pediatric Neurosurgery
There are a few key takeaways from the meeting that provide insight into the future of pediatric neurosurgery. I envision that treating functional disorders in pediatric neurology is on the precipice of rapid expansion; neurosurgeons are beginning to treat some behavioral and movement disorders in children who have self-injurious behavior.
