Houstonia Magazine highlighted top 5 breakthrough developments in the Texas Medical Center this year: it is an honor to report that my work in endoscopic hemispherotomy surgery for epilepsy is one of them.
 
Click here to see the feature by Morgan Kinney in the August 2019 issue of Houstonia. 

TMC Pulse magazine did a wonderful feature on a boy and his family, telling their story leading up to his endoscopic hemispherotomy as well as life after the surgery. 

​We have a new epilepsy surgery offering to our patients: endoscopic hemispherectomy.

I am excited to see how remarkably well patients recover after endoscopic surgery! Unlike traditional open hemispherectomy/hemispherotomy surgery which involves a large craniotomy (skull bone opening) and a large question-mark-shaped incision on the top and side of the head to disconnect the left hemisphere from the right hemisphere, I can perform the hemispherectomy surgery through a small opening and with the help of an endoscope – a camera used in the procedure. The scar involves only a small opening at the top of the head. This smaller access surgery translates to less blood loss, less pain/discomfort, and quicker recovery.

This type of surgery is relatively novel, as it has been reported by only two other centers in the world - one in India and one in Detroit. 
 
This type of minimal access surgery to treat seizures fits with our program's expertise with minimally invasive surgery and enhanced recovery, and expands the comprehensive offering of our multidisciplinary comprehensive pediatric epilepsy surgery program. We focus on delivering individualized care -- offering the right diagnostic workup, the right treatment, the right surgical plan tailored for each patient.
 
This new endoscopic surgery application was possible with intricate understanding of anatomy with my experience with open hemispherectomy surgeries, which I have written about in textbooks. Recently, I have spent time developing and perfecting these minimal-access surgical approaches in the anatomy lab, anticipating and working out all contingencies before offering this novel endoscopic surgery to patients.
 
While the epilepsy surgery program in my group has been known for laser ablation surgeries and traditional open surgeries, we continue to learn from our collective experience. We recognize that not every disease process or surgical goal can be addressed with the laser. There was room for development of better surgical techniques – something in between a laser and a traditional open surgery. Incorporating the use of a camera – the endoscope – gave a way to see what I need to see, while allowing for a smaller opening to safely achieve what needed to be done in surgery.

Epilepsy surgeries I offer through an endoscope include corpus callosotomy and hemispherectomy. 

Illustration developed with our talented medical illustrator, Kathy Relyea. 

Healthcare reform is a crucial issue.
While much debate surrounds government finances, I am most concerned about our children's health. 
Click here to read my blog post in #NeurosurgeryBlog, a forum for health policy. 

Being thankful is, in my mind, a way of life. Life is too short and precious for negativity. I was delighted to find this Washington Post article, which provides affirmation on the practice of gratitude. ​

People who practice daily gratitude tend to be happier and healthier. 
In this article, reporter Colby Itkowitz interviews researcher Robert Emmons, who studies gratitude. I love the comments. They capture the essence of an approach to life that has gotten me through a lot of good times and tough times. 
"Gratitude is too good to be left at the Thanksgiving table. I believe that gratitude is the best approach to life. When life is going well, it allows us to celebrate and magnify the goodness. When life is going badly, it provides a perspective by which we can view life in its entirety and not be overwhelmed by temporary circumstances. People who live under an “aura of pervasive thankfulness” reap the rewards of grateful living; conversely, those who fail to feel gratitude cheat themselves out of their experience of life. And why would we want to cheat ourselves?
This approach that needs to be cultivated, it’s not going to come easily or automatically. This is when gratitude displays its power and potential. This is when we need to press into our sources of gratitude more deeply — family, faith, freedom — all those circumstances, people, opportunities that we give thanks for each and every day, not just on the fourth Thursday of November." 
Futher, Emmons comments on dealing with stress and negativity: 
"Indeed, gratitude rescues us from negativity. Left to their own devices, our minds tend to hijack each and every opportunity for happiness. Negativity, entitlement, resentfulness, forgetfulness, ungratefulness all clamor for our attention.  Whether stemming from our own internal thoughts or to the daily news headlines, we are exposed to a constant drip of negativity. Doom and gloom is on the horizon, as financial fears, relational turmoil and health challenges threaten us. Weighed down by negativity, we are worn down, worn out, emotionally and physically exhausted.... We need to constantly and regularly create and take in positive experiences. Gratitude is our best weapon, an ally to counter these internal and external threats that rob us of sustainable joy. In gratitude, we focus on the giftedness of life. We affirm that goodness exists, even among the rancor of daily life. This realization itself is freeing, liberating, redeeming. Gratitude works!" 

What are you thankful for? Make a list every day. Practice gratitude. Your mind, your health, your friends, your family, your future self will thank you for it. 

I am thankful for the trust and the faith from my patients and their families. One of my patient's mothers shared her inspiring story in Woman's World magazine, on the newsstands Thanksgiving week. This amazing family reminds us to count our blessings, as they do every day. After epilepsy surgery, little Noah has been seizure-free for over 2 years and counting. It is wonderful to see him grow up and to celebrate his #brainiversary! Read Noah, Mallory, and Craig's story here. 

A lifetime achievement award in Pediatric Neurosurgery is only bestowed to a GREAT: someone who has moved the field forward in countless ways and essentially changed the face of Pediatric Neurosurgery. There have only 8 Franc D. Ingraham Award for Distinguished Service and Achievement recipients in history: giants in our field. The last one was my mentor, A. Leland Albright, an incredible person. 

The next recipient selected for this honor is my boss and Chief Quality Officer for Surgery at Texas Children's Hospital: Thomas G. Luerssen. The presentation will take place at the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery annual conference in Orlando in December 2016. What a special honor to a truly venerable neurosurgeon, colleague, friend, and leader.

Our group will be at the conference presenting our scientific research, but more importantly, we will be there to honor the GREAT Dr. Luerssen and his wife Norma who has supported him all the way. 
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Everyone has stories about Tom leading by example, dispensing sage advice, being there no matter what. Some people always know the right way forward: that is Tom. We are so proud he is receiving this highest recognition.