Treatments and Services

Our neurosurgeons and neurologists work closely with other specialists at Seattle Children’s to create a custom care plan for your child. Because we care for so many children with brain or spinal cord tumors each year, we have the experience to treat even the rarest conditions. We offer traditional open surgery and minimally invasive laser ablation surgery for some types of brain tumors. Learn more about our Brain Tumor Program.

En la Clínica neurológica en español del Seattle Children’s nos esforzamos por ampliar el cubrimiento y mejorar la calidad de la atención neurológica para la comunidad hispana. Nuestro personal médico bilingüe ofrece atención médica y servicios en español, así como una amplia variedad de tratamientos para enfermedades del cerebro, la médula espinal, los nervios y los músculos. Asimismo, colaboramos con profesionales de otras especialidades como la rehabilitación, la terapia física y ocupacional, la neumología y la genética, entre otras. Cualquier paciente de entre 0 y 21 años de edad que haya sido referido a la clínica de neurología puede solicitar que su cita sea en la Clínica neurológica en español.

Our specialists are dedicated to helping your child live seizure free. Our Level 4 accreditation from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) recognizes that we perform a broad range of complex surgeries and give our patients access to more research studies, clinical trials and advanced technologies to both diagnose and treat epilepsy. Learn more about our Epilepsy Program.

Our Headache Program brings together an expert team to diagnose and treat your child’s headaches. Our providers specialize in helping children and teens prevent or manage frequent or complex headaches. We provide the most up-to-date and evidence-based therapies. These include Botox injections for chronic migraine, neuromodulation devices and numbing solution (SPG block and peripheral nerve block for headache).

Our team cares for children with disorders that affect mitochondria — parts of cells that help make energy. In mitochondrial diseases, these energy-making areas do not work as they should. Our team includes experts in many areas of medicine. To improve care and cure rates, we do research and offer access to new therapies being tested in clinical trials. Learn more about our Mitochondrial Medicine and Metabolism Clinic.

Babies born with or at risk for a neurological condition need special care to protect and heal their brain. Seattle Children’s Neuro NICU expert team provides evidence-based treatment for your baby. We use advanced technology that lets us see and understand what is happening in and around your baby’s brain (neurodiagnostics and neuroimaging). We have the only neonatal neurocritical care program in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.

Seattle Children’s Neurocritical Care team treats children of all ages with a critical illness or injury that affects their brain, spinal cord or nerves. Experts from different specialties work together to care for your child during their hospital stay and through follow-up care after they leave the hospital. Learn more about our Neurocritical Care Program.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a group of genetic conditions that cause tumors to grow along the body’s nerves or under the skin. Almost always the tumors are not cancer (benign). Seattle Children’s has the only pediatric neurofibromatosis program in the region, led by a neuro-oncologist with special training in treating children with NF. Our multidisciplinary team treats your whole child, not just their disease. Learn more about our Neurofibromatosis program.

Our Neuromodulation Program uses mild electrical pulses to prevent or lessen seizures in children with epilepsy and to reduce muscle spasms in children with movement disorders. These devices can be life changing for children whose symptoms are not controlled by other treatments. We offer responsive neurostimulation (RNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS) and vagus neurostimulation (VNS). Learn more about our Neuromodulation Program.

The Neuromuscular Program brings together a team of experts to evaluate and treat babies, children and teens with muscle or nerve problems that cause weakness. We provide care for conditions such as myotonic muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Our treatment options include gene therapy for SMA. Learn more about our Neuromuscular Program.

Neuropsychologists are experts in brain development and how it affects a child’s learning and behavior. To help make the right diagnosis, we do many tests to check your child’s memory, attention, thinking, language skills, coordination, senses and personality. Our evaluations can help you and your child’s healthcare team pick strategies to help your child reach their potential. Learn more about our Neuropsychology service.

Our neurosurgery team is among the most experienced in the nation and the most experienced by far in the Pacific Northwest. Our expertise and skilled use of advanced technology make brain surgery possible for more children, as well as safer and more precise. We use minimally invasive procedures whenever possible to reduce pain and recovery time for your child. Our world-class team performs surgery for a broad range of neurological conditions. Learn more about our Neurosurgery Program.

Neurogenetic conditions are genetic conditions that affect the nervous system, such as the brain, spinal cord or how nerves control muscles. Our neurotherapeutics team has expertise in diagnosing these rare conditions and access to research studies of promising new treatments such as targeted therapies. Learn more about our Seattle Children’s Neurotherapeutics Clinic.

Our experts provide world-class care to children with cerebrovascular conditions like stroke that affect the brain’s blood flow. Seattle Children’s has the only pediatric vascular neurology program in Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Our specialists are here when you need us, with a pediatric stroke expert and neurosurgeon available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Learn more about our Pediatric Vascular Neurology Program.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow in different parts of the body, especially the brain. Our clinic helps families get all the care they need in the fewest visits possible — from experts in the nervous system, heart, kidneys, skin and other systems. Learn more about Seattle Children’s Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Clinic.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a way to take pictures of your child’s brain at work. It is like an MRI scan. But instead of just looking at the physical parts of your child’s brain, we look at the parts involved in specific activities. It is safer, cheaper, more efficient and more comfortable for your child than other tests that give us similar information. We use fMRI when treating children with epilepsy, brain tumors and cavernous malformations. Read about fMRI.

This precise, minimally invasive surgery uses light to remove tumors and other lesions. Seattle Children’s is among the few hospitals in the country to offer laser ablation surgery for epilepsy and brain tumors. Laser ablation may be a good choice, and even a cure, for children who have few or no other treatment options. Learn more.

Robot-assisted neurosurgery uses an advanced surgical tool called ROSA Brain. ROSA combines a robotic arm with the ability to get detailed pictures of your child’s brain. Our neurosurgeons use ROSA to target areas of your child’s brain with more precision, without removing part of their skull (craniotomy). ROSA helps neurosurgeons treat children with epilepsy and other problems more quickly, safely and effectively.

Seattle Children’s is the only pediatric hospital in the Pacific Northwest to provide selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) to help kids gain mobility. Our neurosurgeons, rehabilitation medicine specialists and physical therapists work together to reduce spasticity, or high muscle tone, in your child’s legs. Our neurosurgeons are experts in implanting pumps to deliver medicine (baclofen) around the spinal cord to reduce severe spasticity resulting from cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis or brain and spinal cord injury. Learn more.

Stereo EEG (electroencephalography) is a minimally invasive procedure to find the source of your child’s seizures and help decide if surgery is a good option. During the stereo EEG, neurosurgeons use the ROSA robotic tool to place fine, flexible wires in your child’s brain (intracranial) to record electrical activity. We use stereo EEG in more than 80% of intracranial EEGs because it is safer and more precise than other ways to monitor seizures.

Our program brings together some of the nation’s top experts on concussions and brain injuries to keep young athletes safe and healthy. Because of this expertise, we can evaluate, diagnose and manage any level of injury to your child’s brain. Learn more about our Concussion Program.

Our neurosurgeons work as a team with craniofacial surgeons and other experts to treat children with conditions that affect the bones of the face and skull. These include craniosynostosis, when a seam connecting the skull bones closes too soon. Our Craniofacial Center is among the few centers in the country to offer endoscopic repair of some types of craniosynostosis, a minimally invasive procedure.

Seattle Children’s excels at treating brain and spinal cord conditions that are present at birth, such as myelomeningocele (spina bifida) and hydrocephalus. Our Fetal Care and Treatment Center works with families to diagnose disorders during pregnancy and prepare for the care their babies will need after birth. We help coordinate care for you during your pregnancy and for your child after birth. Learn more about our Fetal Care and Treatment Center.

Some children with severe problems related to their thinking, learning or mental health have inflammatory brain disorders. Most often they happen because a child’s immune system attacks their brain (autoimmune). Scientists do not know what triggers this. We also call these conditions neuroinflammatory brain disorders. Our Inflammatory Brain Disorders Clinic brings together experts in neurosciences and rheumatology to diagnose and treat your child.

Interventional radiologists use imaging such as CT (computed tomography) scans to find and correct problems without surgery. We have special training to work with kids, and we use equipment and techniques designed for children and teens. Our neurosciences and interventional radiology teams partner to select the best treatment for your child’s condition. Learn more.

Seattle Children’s Neurodevelopmental team focuses on caring for children with special needs. Our team of doctors, nurses, social workers, dietitians, physical therapists and occupational therapists tailors our services to your child and family. We work with your family and other members of your child’s team, including their primary care doctor, teachers and community services. Learn more about our Neurodevelopmental Program.