Neurosciences for Children

Neurologic disorders in children affect the brain, spine, skull and nervous system, which may alter your child’s sensory development and impair vision, hearing and thinking, as well as the ability to communicate and control movement.

Children's Neurology & Neurosurgery Close to Home

When you choose the pediatric neuroscience experts at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health in Oklahoma City for your child’s neurological care, you get access to the extensive medical capabilities and scientific research at Oklahoma’s only academic health system, as well as Oklahoma City’s only board-certified pediatric neurosurgeons and some of the region’s only pediatric neurologists, including the only pediatric epileptologist in the state.

You and your child benefit from working with an experienced team of children’s neuroscience professionals, who provide you with comprehensive, child-centered, age-appropriate care designed for infants, children and adolescents, as well as advanced treatment options for a wide range of congenital and trauma-related neurologic conditions, from simple to complex.

Neurological Conditions in Children

Genetic issues, disease, injury or environmental factors may contribute to children’s neurologic conditions such as:

• Arteriovenous malformations – Abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain
• Back pain – management of lumbar disc herniation
• Brain and spinal cord tumors
• Brachial plexus injuries
• Chiari malformations – Structural defects in the cerebellum, including Chiari Type I, Chiari Type II
• Craniosynostosis – Premature closure of skull connections; other craniofacial disorders
• Epilepsy
• Headache or migraine
• Head injury – Concussion, skull fracture, traumatic brain injury
• Hydrocephalus – Accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CFS) in the brain
• Movement disorders – Cerebral palsy, tremor, spasticity, dystonia, Tourette's syndrome and others
• Neuromuscular disease – Muscular dystrophy and others
• Neurocutaneous syndromes
• Plagiocephaly – Asymmetrical development of the skull
• Spinal disorders – Spina bifida (meningomyelocele, others), tethered cords (malformations of spinal cord), syringomyelia (cyst or cavity in spinal cord)
• Spine and spinal cord trauma
• Spinal column tumors – bony tumor of the spine, different than spinal cord tumors
• Stroke

Innovative Children's Neuroscience Treatments

Following your child’s thorough neurologic evaluation at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, you’ll consult with your child’s neuroscience care team to develop an individualized treatment plan that addresses your child’s specific situation.

Your child’s care plan may take advantage of the full spectrum of innovative neurologic treatments at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health, the only site in Oklahoma where you’ll find pediatric epilepsy surgery and a comprehensive ketogenic diet program. Regardless of condition or circumstance, your child benefits from a wide range of neuro-medical (medication) options and advanced neurosurgical technologies for the most appropriate, up-to-date care available anywhere. Treatment options include:

• Management of lumbar disc herniation
• Minimally invasive and robotic surgery
• Movement disorders and spasticity treatments, including:
  • Intrathecal baclofen pump delivery
  • Selective dorsal rhizotomy
  • Deep brain stimulation
• Moyamoya surgery – Direct and indirect bypass surgery
• Pain procedures, including:
  • Ablative – eg DREZ lesioning, cordotomy
  • Neuromodulation – spinal cord stimulation
• Spinal deformity surgery

Your Children's Neurosciences Care Team

Conditions affecting your child’s brain, spine, skull or nervous system benefit from the expert care provided by OU Health board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric neurologists and pediatric neurosurgeons, part of Oklahoma’s only Level I trauma center verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS), who perform both standard and extremely complex procedures every day. That means you and your child benefit from their extensive experience,

Your child’s neuroscience team also includes advanced practice providers such as certified nurse practitioners (NP-C) and certified physician assistants (PA-C) who specialize in pediatric neurology and neurosurgery.