Pediatric Brain Tumor Resection

What is pediatric brain tumor resection?
Pediatric brain tumor resection is a surgery to remove as much of a brain tumor as possible without harming critical brain functions.

Who can benefit from pediatric brain tumor resection?
Most children who have tumors in an area of the brain that can be accessed benefit from pediatric brain tumor resection.

How is the surgery performed?
Once your child is asleep under anesthesia, the pediatric neurosurgeon will make a flap in the scull. This procedure is called a craniotomy. The flap will be removed during surgery.

Using advanced stereotactic navigation system to accurately pinpoint the location of the tumor, the neurosurgeon will use a surgical laser to vaporize as much of the tumor as possible. The surgeon may also use an ultrasound aspirator, an advanced piece of equipment that converts a solid tumor to liquid so it can be removed by suction. 

If a biopsy has not previously been performed, the neurosurgeon may perform one during the resection surgery. A biopsy involves looking at a piece of the tumor under the microscope to verify the type of tumor and determine whether it is cancerous.

Once the surgery is complete, the scull flap will be replaced.

What happens after pediatric brain tumor surgery?
Before or after your child's pediatric brain tumor surgery, a biopsy will be performed to determine the type and grade of the tumor. Cancerous tumors, or tumors that cannot be removed completely during surgery, may be treated with chemotherapy or radiation following surgery.

Depending on the type, size and location of the tumor, your child may need speech therapy, physical therapy or occupational therapy following brain tumor surgery.  Children who have pediatric brain tumor surgery will need to have regular follow-up examinations.

What are the risks of pediatric brain tumor resection?
A child's brain is very complex and sensitive. Despite the risks, surgery is often essential to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Some children develop after effects following brain tumor surgery. The extent of the effects varies greatly from one child to the next, depending on the type of tumor, the part of the brain it's in and the size of the tumor. After-effects sometimes include loss of speech, balance difficulties, hormonal disorders or developmental delays. These problems sometimes go away over time. Speech therapy, physical therapy or occupational therapy can help improve function.

Why Le Bonheur Children's?
Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center, in conjunction with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, is home to the nation's largest Pediatric Surgical Brain Tumor Program. Together, we are nationally known for our aggressive surgical approaches and groundbreaking treatments of brain tumors in children and adolescents.
 
Children with brain tumors receive care from a multidisciplinary group of physicians, scientists, nurses and support staff representing the many types of treatments and support crucial to the comprehensive care of children with brain tumors.

This team includes pediatric neurosurgeons at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and neuro-oncologists and pediatric radiation oncologists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Through this multi-hospital collaboration, each child's care is supported by physicians representing radiology, neuropsychology, neuropathology and neuroendocrinology, plus specially trained nurses, rehabilitation specialists, pharmacists, nutritionists and audiologists.

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Program is a key component of Le Bonheur's Neuroscience Institute, a center of excellence dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of neurological disorders. Children from across the country visit Le Bonheur each year to be treated at the Institute.

For more information please contact: Neuroscience Institute , 866.705.8279