NEUROSURGERY
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
42 active studies in 2023 Select neurosurgery clinical trials underway at Riley Children’s: ■ Dissecting the cellular heterogeneity of epileptogenic zones (study unique to Riley Children’s) ■ Comparing patient-reported outcomes after strip craniectomy versus open vault/FOA in single-suture craniosynostosis using the validated FACE-Q instrument (study unique to Riley Children’s) ■ Genetics of Chiari malformation with and without syringomyelia ■ Predicting seizure responsiveness to neuromodulation using connectomic profiling (VNS study) ■ Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN) Core Data Project: Characterizing patient populations within the HCRN > READ about research to identify therapies for halting brain tumor genesis.
Skilled neurosurgeons at Riley Children’s Health manage complex brain, spine and nervous system conditions in children of all ages, from infants to young adults. We routinely treat the most complex issues, including intractable epilepsy, skull and spine deformities, traumatic injuries, congenital conditions such as spina bifida, benign and malignant tumors, and blood vessel abnormalities in the brain. Our team is a partner in Indiana’s longest-standing Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons.
INTERIM DIVISION CHIEF Laurie L. Ackerman, MD, FAANS, FAAP Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, IU School of Medicine > Connect with Dr. Ackerman on Doximity.
■ Ranked among the leading pediatric neurology and PROGRAM DISTINCTIONS
Specialized programs Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
Surgical capabilities include robot-assisted stereo EEG lead placement, MEG, laser interstitial thermal therapy, neuromodulatory procedures (responsive neurostimulator system (RNS) and vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) insertions), and resective or disconnection surgeries such as lobectomy, hemispherotomy and corpus callosotomy. Neuro-oncology Our multidisciplinary approach includes collaboration with related disciplines to provide holistic and leading-edge therapies, both surgical and nonsurgical. ■ Riley Children’s is one of the few centers in the Midwest to offer a laser ablation program for children with brain tumors and epilepsy. ■ Our multidisciplinary approaches to neurofibromatosis and birth injuries to the brachial plexus are unique in the region. Craniofacial malformations We offer a wide range of advanced treatments and technologies, including distraction techniques, total vault reconstruction, and endoscopic and open approaches for treating craniosynostosis. Neurovascular disorders We provide diagnostic and therapeutic options for vascular malformations and injuries of the nervous system, including endovascular approaches and surgical resection. Movement disorders Riley Children’s offers a baclofen pump program with one of the lowest infection rates in the nation, intraventricular baclofen therapy, deep brain stimulation for dystonia, and selective and nonselective cervical and lumbosacral rhizotomy. Pain We provide spinal cord stimulation paddle and percutaneous trials and implants for patients with neuropathic pain syndromes. Our results are excellent with increased functional ability and decreased polypharmacy across the population.
4 board certified neurosurgeons
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neurosurgery programs by U.S. News & World Report
NOTABLE PUBLICATIONS Neurosurgery: August 2023 Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Patients with Chiari
■ Indiana’s only Level 4 Comprehensive
Epilepsy Center (National Association of Epilepsy Centers) ■ Program offerings: – Magnetoencephalography (MEG) – Laser interstitial thermal therapy program for epilepsy and neuro- oncology – Precision genomics program for neuro- oncology – Comprehensive craniosynostosis program offering open and endoscopic procedures
Clinical outcomes: 2023 Unplanned 30-day readmission for craniofacial surgeries Unplanned 30-day readmission for craniotomy Unplanned 30-day return to OR for craniotomy
Less than 3%
Malformation: Symptoms Development: July 2023
Directed Differentiation of Human Hindbrain Neuroepithelial Stem Cells Recapitulates Cerebellar Granule Neurogenesis Journal of Neurosurgery, Pediatrics: October 2023 Machine Learning Models for Predicting Seizure Outcome after MR-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy in Children Cureus: August 2023 Indirect Bypass With Pericranial Transposition for Moyamoya Syndrome in an Infant
Less than 5%
Less than 5%
30-day revision for craniofacial surgery
Less than 3%
Less than 2%
Surgical site infection
■ Indiana’s only facility with a cranial robot
14 research publications in 2023
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Annual Report 2023 – 2024
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