Presentation Description: Surgery is an integral component and typically the first line of therapy for children with central nervous system tumors.  Conventional aims of neurosurgery including tumor removal, management of hydrocephalus, and diagnostic sampling have been recently modified with innovations such as navigational guidance, functional mapping, endoscopic surgery, second-look surgery, and physiologic imaging.  The overall role of the pediatric neurosurgeon is also expanding to include unconventional responsibilities including disease staging, tissue procurement, and drug delivery.  The application of these philosophical and technological approaches was discussed in this presentation.

Speaker:

Mark M. Souweidane, MD
Professor of Neurological Surgery and Pediatrics
Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
Vice Chair, Neurological Surgery
Weill Cornell Medical College/New York Presbyterian, New York, NY