Neurosurgery

If your child needs surgery, you may be worried and have many questions. At Mary Bridge Children’s, your child’s well-being is our top priority. We work with the area’s leading pediatric neurosurgeons to ensure your child’s safety. We also work closely with specialists in neuropsychology to assess children for learning issues after surgery, collaborating with Seattle Children’s on complex cases.

We provide a full suite of support services that include nurse navigators, pediatric rehabilitation, sedation services and child life specialists. The Mary Bridge Children’s teams is by your side at every step to make inpatient hospital stays easier and promote the best outcome for your child.

Vagus nerve stimulator device implantation

As many as 20 percent of children with epilepsy have seizures that don’t respond to medication. Some of these patients may benefit from surgery to reduce or even eliminate seizures.

A vagus nerve stimulator device sends electrical signals to the brain through the vagus nerve in the lower neck, often helping reduce seizures and lower medication dosages. During the surgery, our neurosurgeon will make two small incisions in the upper chest and neck. The doctor then places the stimulator device in the upper left side of the chest, guiding a small wire to the neck and attaching it to the vagus nerve.

After your child has healed from surgery, a specialist will turn on the device and program it to send small electrical signals to the vagus nerve at specified intervals. A handheld magnet allows you or your child to stimulate the nerve if you observe signs of an oncoming seizure.

Brain tumor surgery

Sometimes, seizures are the result of a brain tumor rather than a chronic disorder. Our experienced pediatric neurosurgeons perform complex brain surgery on children, helping promote the best possible outcome for your child.

Surgical approaches to brain tumor removal depend on the type, location and extent of the tumor. In all cases, our specialists take special precautions to remove the entire tumor with minimal impact on surrounding tissues.