Norton Children’s Hospital has joined an elite group of pediatric hospitals with a real-time, thermal imaging and laser system to perform laser ablation surgery for epilepsy, uncontrollable seizures and deep brain tumors. The technology, called Visualase, allows doctors to perform MRI-guided laser ablation surgery, which is less invasive and in most cases has a much…
Victoria Dicken is no stranger to challenges. The 11-year-old girl from Louisville has Treacher Collins syndrome. “I’ve lost count of how many surgeries I’ve had,” Victoria said. “At least 20.” Treacher Collins syndrome is a rare genetic condition that affects the development of bones and other tissues in the face. Most people with the condition have underdeveloped…
Avery Richardson turned 3 in December, but the Shelbyville, Kentucky, girl has already been through more than most kids. Avery has undergone six operations, including two in the days immediately after her birth. Avery has spina bifida, a birth defect that causes the structure enclosing the spinal cord to fail to form properly in the…
Youth football players represent 70 percent of all players in the United States. Yet, many studies have focused on measuring head impact in high school, college and professional athletes. Few studies on direct hits in youth football have emerged until now. A study published in Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics in October shows youth football players…
Sleep had never come easy to me. I went to bed happy and tired. My parents tucked me in and I closed my eyes. But nothing happened. I could not sleep. I felt yucky. I did not know why. There was no explanation. Until one day there was. When I was in the first grade,…
If you’ve ever had a migraine, you’d probably agree you wouldn’t wish one on anyone, much less a child. However, migraines in kids are real and you can learn how to recognize them and help your child through the pain. “About 5 percent of all children experience migraine and this increases to 10 percent during…
Feb. 27, 2007, is a date that will be engrained in my mind forever. It was the day I found out I had cancer. I had a brain tumor and hydrocephalus, and had to get surgery and start treatment right away. As a little kid I had no idea what these words meant or how…
When kids get brain freeze, that ice cream-induced headache can quickly bring an otherwise happy child to tears and take the fun out of enjoying a cold treat on a hot day. What causes brain freeze? “A brain freeze is a short-term headache caused when ingesting cold substances,” said Brian Plato, D.O., neurologist and headache…
You don’t normally see soccer players wearing head protection. But for 15-year-old Ruby Fitzer, it’s a requirement. “I don’t like wearing it — it leaves a mark on my forehead,” said Ruby, a goalie for Dupont Manual High School in Louisville. “But the reality is I need it in order to keep playing.” Unfortunately, between…