171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
800-424-MUSC
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September 2005
Feature Story
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| Gerald Tuite, MD |
Operating on children isn't quite the same as operating on adults, and that philosophy couldn't be more
true than in the specialty of pediatric neurosurgery. According to Sunil Patel, MD, clinical chair of the
Department of Neurosciences, there are challenges to working with such small people.
"When you operate on children, you deal with a smaller anatomy that requires a certain level of delicacy
that you don't necessarily need with adults," he says. "And children can't always tell us where it hurts
or what's wrong. Fortunately, diagnostic tools have improved during the last few decades and we can turn
to CT scans and MRIs to help us pinpoint a problem."
Dr. Patel and his five colleagues offer the only full-service pediatric neurosurgery practice in South
Carolina through the Department of Neurosciences. They perform 150 to 200 pediatric neurosurgeries each
year, see about 40 patients a week in the outpatient setting and follow five to 10 inpatients at any one
time. They treat a variety of disorders: brain tumors, hydrocephalus, epilepsy and other seizure disorders,
cerebral palsy, craniofacial problems and head trauma cases.
By their very nature, neurosurgeries can be complex, lengthy and involved. But recent improvements in
technology make things a bit easier in the OR. "Some cases can be done quicker now because of improvements
in the instruments we use and better imaging techniques that help us define a specific problem better,"
says Dr. Patel. But things can happen fast in the OR, and a complication that isn't too serious in an adult
can be devastating in a child. "For example, the loss of 10 CCs of blood in an adult isn't a lot, but it's
a huge amount in a tiny baby," says Dr. Patel.
Doing its part to further research and the development of medicine is important to pediatric neurosurgery.
The group participates in a clinical trial of children with hydrocephalus to gain a better understanding of
how and why the illness occurs. They are also studying the treatment of malignant brain tumors with infusions of immunotoxins.
Often children with neurological issues have accompanying disorders or problems. To better treat their
patients, pediatric neurosurgery participates in numerous multidisciplinary clinics with physicians from
other specialties such as plastic surgery and hematology/oncology. "This approach is best for the patients
because we can offer them everything they might need within the walls of this hospital," says Dr. Patel.
"And it's all focused on the needs of the child and the family."
This month, the department welcomes pediatric neurosurgeon Gerald Tuite, MD, who will
provide neurosurgery care exclusively to children. He comes to MUSC Children's Hospital from Tampa Bay, Florida where he served as Director of
the Pediatric Neurosurgery Division at the University of South Florida. Dr. Tuite completed his neurosurgical
residency at the University of Michigan. Following his residency, he completed a one-year fellowship at Great
Ormond Street Hospital for Children at Queen Square in London, where he concentrated on the treatment of
craniofacial disorders, spinal anomalies and the surgical treatment of epilepsy. He then spent an additional
year at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, where he concentrated on the treatment of children with brain tumors.
Dr. Tuite was drawn to MUSC by the unique combination of strong pediatric clinical, research and teaching
opportunities all within the context of an evolving neurosurgical division of the highest caliber. "I believe
in the synergy created by bringing the clinical and research aspects of neuroscience under one roof," he says.
"At MUSC, we are in a unique position to make real, enduring changes in the way we care for children with neurological
disease through our combined efforts in the Neuroscience Department."
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