Photos courtesy of Mayo Clinic
The best pediatric care is closer than you think
Ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and within the five-state region, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022–2023 “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings, Mayo Clinic Children’s Center is a place where pediatric experts offer unparalleled care, making it a destination for children and families from all 50 states and 60 countries worldwide each year.
Big innovation for your little one
At the Children’s Center, pediatric specialists are committed to advancing innovations and research to help develop healthier generations to come. With the full resources of Mayo Clinic behind them, innovations in pediatric orthopedics, neurosurgery, and oncology are leading the way in promising therapies and advancing research for children facing complex conditions.
At the forefront of pediatric scoliosis surgery, Dr. Noelle Larson and her team aim to safely innovate scoliosis care for faster recovery and improved quality of life for teenage patients. Mayo Clinic is a global leader in non-fusion surgery to treat scoliosis. Unlike traditional spinal fusion, which results in permanent loss of motion and limits spinal growth, non-fusion surgery is an approach that stabilizes the spine while preserving growth and flexibility. Mayo Clinic pediatric orthopedic surgeons lead research, conduct FDA trials and educate other surgeons from around the world.
In the Pediatric Brain Tumor Clinic and Lab, pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. David Daniels works with a multidisciplinary team to improve the prognosis for children with brain and spinal tumors. Using targeted therapies developed from molecular research, the team is able to detect unique features of a child’s tumor and tailor treatment accordingly. In addition, Mayo Clinic pioneered the use of intraoperative MRI and brain-mapping techniques, including awake craniotomies, that allow neurosurgeons to remove as much of the brain tumor as possible while minimizing neurological impairment and preserving brain function. These strategies improve the overall outcomes for children.
Today, thanks to advances in treatment, more children are surviving childhood cancer. Radiation oncologist Dr. Anita Mahajan and her team use proton therapy, another oncology-focused innovation that uses a highly specialized machine to deliver targeted radiation to a tumor while sparing surrounding healthy tissue and developing organs. This exciting technology is used as part of a broader multidisciplinary approach aimed to reduce side effects during and after therapy. The attributes of proton therapy could help reduce the long-term effects of childhood cancer treatment and allow young patients achieve a greater quality of life well into adulthood.
Offering hope, and options
From diagnosis through all phases of treatment, Mayo Clinic Children’s Center brings leading experts together to help children with complex medical needs grow up to be healthy, productive adults.
