Conditions Treated

This section provides information on the conditions our neurosurgery team treats. We explain the specifics of each condition, what other problems may be related to it, who gets it and how we diagnose and treat the problem at Seattle Children’s.

In addition to the team of specialists at Seattle Children’s who treat your child, the care team includes you, the family. You can be sure your child’s doctors will:

• Explain the condition or injuries in a way you can understand
• Describe all of your child’s treatment options, including the risks and benefits
• Explain what happens before, during and after each treatment
• Answer all your questions

More About Conditions Treated

• Arachnoid cyst
  A fluid-filled sac between the skull and the brain, or on the arachnoid membrane of the spine
• Brain and spinal abscess
  An infection caused by bacteria, often spread to the brain or spine from another part of the body
• Brain and spinal cord tumors
  An abnormal growth of cells that the body does not need; non-cancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant)
• Cerebral palsy and spasticity
  A condition that affects movement, causing stiff or uncontrollable muscle tightening or twitching
• Chiari malformation
  A problem in which the cerebellum and sometimes other parts of the brain crowd the spinal canal
• Craniosynostosis
  When one or more bones of an infant’s skull fuse prematurely
• Encephalocele
  A rare defect involving an infant’s skull that is not closed properly at birth
• Epilepsy
  Abnormal electrical and chemical brain activity, resulting in repeated seizures
• Hydrocephalus
  An abnormal amount of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain
• Lipomyelomeningocele
  A fatty mass present at birth that fixes itself to the spinal cord
• Myelomeningocele
  A deformed spine not closed at birth, leaving the spinal cord open to the air
• Syringomyelia
  A collection of cerebrospinal fluid in the center of the spinal cord
• Tethered spinal cord
  A condition where the spinal cord is pulled down and stuck or fixed to the spinal canal
• Vascular diseases of the brain and spinal cord
  Malformations of arteries and veins in the brain and spinal cord