Adam Kusack enjoyed his time on air during Radiothon 2008

Press and news

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation is launching a fundraising drive to raise £220,000 to purchase new state-of-the-art equipment for brain surgery. This kit, so far only available in one other paediatric centre in the UK, will ensure patients benefit from the most up-to-date neurosurgery technology, bringing major improvements for children with brain tumours, hydrocephalus, epilepsy and brain infections.

We plan to buy this highly innovative equipment in addition to the Brain Lab which we presented to the hospital in 2007.  In the past three years it has been used for brain surgery procedures to help many patients, but the addition of the new equipment will mean that the image guidance technology it operates on can also be used for younger children without the need for fixing pins in their heads and, for the first time for infants.

It helps by combining all the images which have been taken of the child’s head and brain and tracking the position of the surgeon’s instruments on those images during the operation.  It is difficult, for example, to ensure precise positioning of shunts in a child’s brain, let alone in a baby: this equipment will give the surgeons a much clearer picture to guide them to the precise spot they need to reach.

“Every year, this state-of-the-art image guidance equipment will help around 100 children, who require surgery to remove tumours or infected tissue, as well as highly complex procedures to place shunts in exactly the right position” said Maureen Harrison, Chief Executive of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

“The neurosurgeons at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children will combine their high level of skills and the excellent NHS facilities in the operating theatres with the fantastic pioneering image guidance provided by this Sick Kids Friends Foundation purchase to make such procedures even more effective for a wider range of patients”.

Jerard Ross, Consultant Neurosurgeon at the hospital was delighted when he heard the news that the application for funding from the Foundation had been approved.

 “This piece of equipment is a significant advance in neurosurgical technology.  It will help us manage patients both new and old who come to Sick Kids for help with a range of conditions, including hydrocephalus,” he said.   “It will keep us at the cutting edge of paediatric neurosurgery for some time to come.  Thank you Sick Kids Friends.’