Hydrocephalus Program
Our innovative approach
Children's Hospital Boston's Hydrocephalus Program is dedicated to basic science and translational research that informs medical and surgical approaches to disorders of the brain, spine and nervous system. Our research program is the most prolific at any pediatric hospital in the world, and our clinicians spend each day seeking new insights into:
- how and why diseases like hydrocephalus occur
- what role genetics play in the onset of hydrocephalus and related conditions
- how a child's brain develops and where it is most vulnerable to defects and injury
Our Hydrocephalus Program physicians—who are also members of the Harvard Medical School faculty—conduct ongoing research here in our hospital laboratories. They also collaborate routinely with scientists at Boston's world-renowned universities, other biomedical facilities and fellow leading medical centers.
Meet our researchers
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Larry Benowitz, PhD, director of Children's Laboratories for Neuroscience Research in Neurosurgery, whose research focuses on the basic mechanisms that help nerve connections regrow after traumatic injury
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Joseph Madsen, MD, Children’s neurosurgeon, director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Program and director of the Neurodynamics Research Laboratory, who combines basic science and translational research to improve methods of mapping the brain
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R. Michael Scott, MD, Children's Neurosurgeon-in-Chief and Christopher R. Fellows Chair in Pediatric Neurosurgery, who is examining growth factors found within cerebrospinal fluid and the role of these substances in the emergence of cerebrovascular disorders
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Edward Robert Smith, MD, Children's neurosurgeon, director of Pediatric Cerebrovascular Surgery and co-director of the Center for Head, Neck and Skull Base, who is working to develop non-invasive biomarkers for detecting neurological disease and to better understand molecular mechanisms in brain tumors and cerebrovascular malformations
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Benjamin C. Warf, MD, Children's neurosurgeon and director of Neonatal and Congenital Anomaly Neurosurgery, who is researching the emergence and prevalence of hydrocephalus and spina bifida, particularly in developing nations—as well as minimally invasive surgical approaches like endoscopic third ventriculostomy for these diseases
Clinical trials at Children’s
Children’s is known for pioneering some of the most effective surgeries, diagnostic procedures and other critical techniques in treating neurological disorders like hydrocephalus. A significant part of our success comes from our commitment to research—and to advancing the frontiers of pediatric medicine by conducting clinical trials.
Children’s conducts hundreds of clinical trials at any given time.Clinical trials are studies that may involve:
- evaluating the effectiveness of a new drug therapy
- testing a new diagnostic procedure or device
- examining a new treatment method for a particular disease
- taking a closer look at the causes and progression of specific conditions
While children must meet strict criteria in order to be eligible for a clinical trial, your child may be eligible to take part in a study. Before considering this option, you should be sure to:
- consult with your child’s treating physician and treatment team
- gather as much information as possible about the specific course of action outlined in the trial
- do your own research about the latest breakthroughs relating to your child’s condition
If your physician recommends that your child participate in a clinical trial, you can feel confident that the plan detailed for that study represents the best and most innovative care. Taking part in a clinical trial at Children’s is entirely voluntary. Our team will be sure to fully address any questions you may have, and you may remove your child from the medical study at any time.
Search current and upcoming clinical trials at Children’s
Search the National Institutes of Health’s list of clinical trials taking place around the world
One patient's story
Children's clinical coordinator Lolli Fleming traces the journey of her daughter, diagnosed with hydrocephalus 10 years ago.
Traditionally, hydrocephalus was thought to be caused by an imbalance of production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. Studying the problem, Children's neurosurgeon Joseph Madsen, MD, and colleagues realized that the key to hydrocephalus may not be the amount of fluid in the brain, but rather the fluid's pulsing motion.
These natural pulses, linked to the heartbeat, may help ensure adequate blood flow in the brain. However, the smallest blood vessels need to be buffered from the pulses to protect them from mechanical stress. Madsen and colleagues have discovered a system that does this in the normal brain, and speculate that malfunction of this system contributes to hydrocephalus. "One reason people with hydrocephalus get headaches may be that their shunts don't solve the problem of buffering the pulsations," Madsen says.
Children's Neurodynamics Research Lab uses long-term monitoring to map vital areas of the brain
At Children's Neurodynamics Research Laboratory, lab director and neurosurgeon Joseph Madsen, MD, and his colleagues spend one to two weeks at a time monitoring patients. While this monitoring is—first and foremost—a crucial method of determining the best plan of care for each child, it also yields a wealth of data about specific functional areas of the brain … all of which could one day lead to new treatments for pediatric stroke, brain tumors and other nervous system conditions.
