Blog | Page 33 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

Cerebral palsy hasn’t stopped Irvin from living large

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Joanne Barker and Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Irvin, now 18, became fascinated with sports mascots when he was a little kid. What did they do, and could he do that too? Anytime he had an appointment at the Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, he and his mother would stop by Fenway Park to visit Wally, mascot of the ... Read More

Tagged: cerebral palsy, orthopedics

From aerospace to the OR: 3D modeling improves surgical planning by revealing details of patients’ hearts

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Albert McKeon | Clinical

Tags: atrial septal defect, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, imaging, single ventricle defects

One of the most important tools for complex heart surgeries at Boston Children’s isn’t even in the operating room. For years, heart surgeons couldn’t see the complete extent of a patient’s condition until a procedure started, forcing them to rely on experience, diagnostic imaging, and other information to plan surgery. Now, 3D modeling allows them ... Read More

Tagged: atrial septal defect, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, imaging, single ventricle defects

Making immunotherapy safe for AML

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cancer, car t-cell therapy, gene editing, gene therapy, immunotherapy, stem cell transplant

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the second most common leukemia in children, is hard to treat and has a five-year survival rate of just 65 to 70 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. While immunotherapies like monoclonal antibodies or CAR T-cell therapy are effective for certain blood cancers, they have not been possible in AML ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, car t-cell therapy, gene editing, gene therapy, immunotherapy, stem cell transplant

Uncertainty surrounds ACL treatment decisions in young athletes. It shouldn’t.

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Joanne Barker | Clinical, Research

Tags: acl, orthopedics, sports injury, sports medicine, surgery

It’s an injury once seen mainly in adults, yet it’s become increasingly common in younger patients. From 2000 to 2020, the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in children and adolescents increased between three- and five-fold. For young athletes, an ACL tear spells six to nine months of downtime, heightened risk for secondary ACL ... Read More

Tagged: acl, orthopedics, sports injury, sports medicine, surgery

EEG markers in early life could help predict and diagnose anxiety

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: big data, diagnostics, eeg, mental health

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem among children and adolescents and are a risk factor for adult disorders. Stress is a big factor — at home, at school, and from external factors like COVID-19 and climate change. But some children may be innately more susceptible to anxiety. New research at Boston Children’s ... Read More

Tagged: big data, diagnostics, eeg, mental health

‘Another level of care’: Second opinion solves Joey’s rare urologic condition

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: surgery, urology

When Max and Shana arrived at Boston Children’s Hospital last year with their young son, Joey, their care team “made us feel a lot less special,” says Max. “And that was a great thing.” Joey was born with megacystic-megaureter syndrome, a urinary tract anomaly that is caused by high-grade vesicoureteral reflux, or the backward flow ... Read More

Tagged: surgery, urology

Pioneering trial offers hope for late treatment of ‘lazy eye’

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Research

Tags: amblyopia, ophthalmology, research

In children with amblyopia or “lazy eye,” one eye is weaker than the other for any of a number of reasons. It may not focus as well, it may be misaligned due to strabismus, or its vision may be obstructed by a cataract or a droopy eyelid. As a result, the brain starts to favor ... Read More

Tagged: amblyopia, ophthalmology, research

Hurdles in health care: Navigating insurance approvals

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Veronica Giarla | Clinical, Research

Tags: advocacy, gastroenterology, research

If you’ve ever struggled with your patient’s insurance company when it came to getting their prescription filled, you’re not alone. For patients with chronic conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), newer drugs like biologics can be very effective — but also very expensive. As a result, many insurance companies have limited access to these medications ... Read More

Tagged: advocacy, gastroenterology, research

Family first: Nolan and Uncle Jon’s living donor kidney transplant

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Veronica Giarla | Patient Stories

Tags: complex care, kidney failure, nutrition, surgery, transplant

Nolan and his uncle Jon are both tall and blonde, but they now have something more in common: The two have an unbreakable bond, thanks to a selfless —and lucky — gift that changed Nolan’s life forever. The first year after Nolan was born, his primary care physician ran some blood work to try to ... Read More

Tagged: complex care, kidney failure, nutrition, surgery, transplant

Rapid DNA sequencing yields timely answers for infant epilepsy

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Research

Tags: epilepsy, genetics and genomics

Treating children with epilepsy has traditionally been a matter of trial and error, trying different drugs one after the other. In the one-third of patients for whom the drugs do not work and seizures continue, doctors consider brain surgery — if it can be done safely. Early in her career, Ann Poduri, MD, MPH, who ... Read More

Tagged: epilepsy, genetics and genomics