Blog | Page 2 of 158 | Boston Children's Answers

Biventricular repair linked to better outcomes in superior-inferior ventricles treatment

Posted on May 13, 2026 by Albert McKeon | Clinical, Research

Tags: biventricular repair, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center

The complexity of superior-inferior ventricles — a condition in which one ventricle is positioned on top of the other — has often limited surgical treatment. But Boston Children’s heart specialists recognized an opportunity to make treatment for the rare condition more accessible to children. Their solution has been a procedure the hospital is at the ... Read More

Tagged: biventricular repair, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center

Small gains with big meaning: Loic’s story of deep brain stimulation for PKAN care

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Movement Disorders Program, neurosurgery

Loic, 5, lives in Montana with his parents, Sherine and Mark, and his sister, Selah. He loves Spider-Man, sushi, and the Fourth of July. He laughs easily, sings along to his favorite shows, and is a big flirt. These are the little things that Sherine says make Loic, Loic, and which, until earlier this year, ... Read More

Tagged: cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Movement Disorders Program, neurosurgery

‘So much has changed’: Advances in XLH care help siblings thrive

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: Skeletal Health Center

Learn more about our Skeletal Health Center. When Stephanie Capone was a child, she was diagnosed with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), a rare genetic condition that makes bones weak, soft, and easy to fracture. XLH, which can be passed down through families, can lead to difficulty walking, bowlegs, short stature, and other challenges. “I underwent ... Read More

Tagged: Skeletal Health Center

Mapping ‘neighborhoods’ in aggressive childhood brain tumors

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Vanessa McMains | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: brain tumor, cancer, neurosurgery

The third-most common kind of childhood brain tumor, supratentorial ependymoma, is an aggressive cancer that often returns after surgery and radiation therapy. By learning more about the makeup of these tumors, Boston Children’s researchers hope to better understand how to treat them and prevent recurrence. In a new study published in Nature, and led by ... Read More

Tagged: brain tumor, cancer, neurosurgery

Gene therapy for hearing loss: Tag-teaming from the lab to the clinic

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: gene therapy, otolaryngology, precision medicine

Two-year-old Miles is one of the first patients with hereditary hearing loss to receive gene therapy at Boston Children’s Hospital — to striking effect. In May 2025, Miles received an injection delivering a healthy copy of a gene called OTOF into the cochlea of his inner ear. Now, Miles is thriving. He’s had no adverse ... Read More

Tagged: gene therapy, otolaryngology, precision medicine

A rare injury, a more determined player: Adrian’s knee dislocation

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: acl, orthopedics, sports injury

Adrian can barely remember a time when he didn’t play football. Now 16, he grew up watching games with his father, Antron, who’d played for a top-tier college and practiced with the NFL. In addition to televised games, the two often traveled to Tennessee for football weekends with his father’s former teammates. “Football is a ... Read More

Tagged: acl, orthopedics, sports injury

A reunion of the heart: Grace and Amy bond through HLHS

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: cardiac surgery, fetal cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal surgery, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs

At first glance, Grace and Amy have a pretty typical friendship: they joke around, cheer each other on, and keep in touch mostly through texts and FaceTime. But look a little deeper and there’s something extraordinary about their bond, or more specifically, how and where it began. Grace, 22, and Amy, 21, were both born ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac surgery, fetal cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal surgery, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs

First-of-its-kind pressurization test could improve Ross procedure outcomes

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Albert McKeon | Clinical, Research

Tags: aortic valve, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, heart, heart center

The Ross procedure is a preferred surgery to treat severe aortic valve disease. The procedure replaces the failing valve with a patient’s own pulmonary valve. It’s an effective treatment option, but some patients have had complications. After surgery, the root of their aortic valve — where the valve connects with the heart — enlarges and causes ... Read More

Tagged: aortic valve, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, heart, heart center

How a meniscal transplant made me a Boston sports fan

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Ashley Meyer | Patient Stories

Tags: orthopedics, surgery

I was in kindergarten when my knee started popping and cracking. My parents and I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d been born with discoid meniscus. The cartilage in my knee that was supposed to protect my shinbone and thighbone from rubbing together was misshapen and throwing my knee out of alignment.I had ... Read More

Tagged: orthopedics, surgery

Finding the right team for achondroplasia: Jeremy’s story

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: skeletal dysplasia, Skeletal Health Center

As an “older” mom, Erica Johnson was used to undergoing more frequent screenings while pregnant with her second child, Jeremy. But when an ultrasound at 30 weeks revealed that his head appeared to be much larger than his legs, she raised a flag with her local obstetrics team. “They assured me that he’d catch up,” ... Read More

Tagged: skeletal dysplasia, Skeletal Health Center