Paediatric Neurology

Our skilled team of friendly professionals have been trained to recognise and treat paediatric neurological conditions with precision. We aim to treat your child with the same tenderness and attentive care that you do. Below are some of the conditions we can support you with:

Spina bifida

A birth defect that happens as a result of a malformed spine and spinal cord.

Complications can include problems with sleep, mobility, bladder and bowel function, leg and spine issues, or brain infections. There are various treatments to help minimise and care for the condition. Often surgery is performed a day or two after birth to repair the spine. If spina bifida is recognised earlier, in-utero surgery can be performed too.

Craniosynostosis

A birth defect is where the bones in a baby’s skull join together before the brain is fully formed.

As the skull grows, its shape will look more abnormal, with bulging, elongation, or an irregularly-shaped face. Your baby may need surgery to correct this, to relieve pressure on the brain or to prevent intellectual disabilities or developmental delays. Special helmets can also be used to help mould the skull into a more regular shape.

Myelomeningocele

A kind of spina bifida that happens when the baby is born with a gap in the bones of the spine, where part of the spinal cord pushes through.

Myelomeningocele can lead to impaired movement, brain malformations, seizures, and learning problems. In many cases, surgery will be necessary to fix the defect, but treatment can also include leg braces or physical therapy.

Hydrocephalus

A rare condition where a baby’s head swells up due to extra cerebrospinal fluid around the brain.

Surgical intervention is required to reduce pressure in your baby’s head, either by draining the fluid or decreasing its production. Symptoms can also include bulging eyes, seizures, or a bulging soft spot on the top of your baby’s head.

Neural Tube Defects (NTDs)

Birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord that happen when a foetus is forming often due to a folic acid deficiency.

Common NTDs include spina bifida (above), and encephalocele, where the brain and covering membranes protrude through a hole in the neural tube. We can perform surgery to place the protruding parts back into the skull.

Spasticity

A muscle and joint condition where the muscles and joints are more difficult to move and bend due to muscle tightness.

Ankles, knees, and elbows are often affected. Spasticity is treated with medications, movement therapies, splints, or surgery on very tight tendons to relieve tendons.

Refractory epilepsy

When seizures can’t be controlled with medication, it’s called refractory or intractable epilepsy.

Treatment includes dietary therapies like a ketogenic or Modified Atkins diet, or vagus nerve stimulation therapy to harmonise brain signals. Brain surgery is considered to better control seizures and improve your child’s quality of life.