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1929
Dr. Franc Ingraham, a protégé of Harvey Cushing's, established neurosurgery at Children's Hospital. This was the beginning of pediatric neurosurgery as a neurosurgical subspecialty.
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1932-1948
After Harvey Cushing's departure from the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital neurosurgeons cover the caseload for both hospitals.
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1947
Drs. Ingraham, Matson and Alexander published the technique of applying polyethylene film to delay fusion of the openings by new bone formation following surgery to repair premature closure of the skull plates.
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Early 1950s
Dr. Donald Matson develops the first successful long-term treatment for hydrocephalus, the lumbo-ureteral shunt.
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1952
Drs. Ingraham, Matson and McLaurin report the use of cortisone and ACTH to replace adrenal function in surgical treatment of pediatric craniopharyngiomas, launching the use of synthetic steroids to treat neurological disorders.
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1954
Drs. Franc Ingraham and Donald Matson publish the first textbook of pediatric neurosurgery, "Neurosurgery of Infancy and Childhood."
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1960s
A visit by plastic surgeon Paul Tessier of Paris leads to a long-lived departmental interest in the problems of children born with congenital craniofacial anomalies.
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1975
Variable pressure shunt valve for treatment of hydrocephalus designed by Dr. Donald Matson, Vannevar Bush from MIT and Carlos Hakim from Columbia, SA.
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1980s
Linear accelerator radiosurgery developed by Drs. Ken Winston and Wendell Lutz. By focusing several arcs of radiation on a single site, neurosurgeons can apply radiotherapy to inoperable brain tumors while minimizing the damage to surrounding tissue. This revolutionizes the management of metastatic and other tumors.
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1995
The GE Signa intraoperative MRI is opened as a joint venture between Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston. The first pediatric case is done in 1997.
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1997
Children's Hospital Boston becomes one of the first pediatric centers to use the vagus nerve stimulator, a surgically implanted device to control intractable epileptic seizures.
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1999
The first variable pressure valve for hydorecphalus is designed by Dr. Carlos Hakim, working in Dr. Peter Black's laboratory. This allows matching of pressure to the valve setting.
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Early 2000s
Anti-siphon capability added to programmable shunt design by Dr. Joseph Madsen.
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2004
Dr. Michael Scott publishes the first long-term follow-up series of children moyamoya syndrome treated operatively.
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2005
Children's Hospital Boston neurosurgeons seek patent for a simple, non-invasive device to accurately measure small changes in head size, helping pediatricians to diagnose plagiocephaly and craniosynostosis.
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2005
Children's Hospital Boston becomes the first pediatric hospital to have a full-sized MRI as part of a fully-functional operating room.
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