UF Health Pediatrics: Neurosurgery

Expert care and compassion are what makes UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital’s pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery specialty program the highest-ranked children’s program in North Florida according to U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 rankings.

We recognize that each child or adolescent we see at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital comes with unique needs. That’s why our neurosurgeons and neurosurgery nurse practitioners have all received advanced pediatric training to provide nationally recognized care.

Whether our patients are suffering from brain or spinal disorders that require complex or common interventions, our pediatric neurosurgery team of experts offers the full range of multidisciplinary care. 

UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital cares for patients from birth to age 21, and select adults with congenital neurological disorders. We provide initial consultation, surgery and continued post-operative care. Surgeries may serve to prevent, diagnose, treat or rehabilitate the disorder.

Visit different sections of the pediatric neurosurgery page:

• Specialties
• State-of-the-Art Equipment
• Appointments/Referrals
• Inpatient/Outpatient Care Locations
• Physicians
• Insurance Information
• Phone Numbers
• Diseases and Conditions We Treat

Specialties

Our pediatric neurosurgeons perform more than 300 neurosurgical procedures every year to treat a comprehensive range of disorders and conditions, while our specialty programs serve to treat the following:

• Arachnoid cysts
• Brain tumors
• Chiari malformations
• Craniosynostosis
• Epilepsy
• Hydrocephalus
• Pituitary disease and skull base disease
• Spasticity
• Spina bifida
• Spinal cord tumors
• Tethered spinal cord

Pediatric brain tumors such as medulloblastoma, ependymoma and pilocytic astrocytoma are frequently referred to us for treatment at the University of Florida.

State-of-the-art equipment

Our highly skilled team is well-equipped to deliver optimal care behind leading-edge equipment, such as:

• Intraoperative MRI - Our staff leverages pediatric intraoperative MRI, or iMRI, to obtain precise pictures of the brain, which guide neurosurgeons in removing brain tumors and other abnormalities during neurosurgery. Real-time images of the brain during a procedure help the neurosurgery team to immediately determine more precisely if they have successfully removed brain tumors and other abnormalities, versus having to wait for a follow-up MRI and possible additional surgery. This level of accuracy with the most technically advanced equipment helps us provide the best possible outcomes for our patients.
• Sophisticated neurosurgical microscope and endoscope systems - One of the major advances in modern neurosurgery is the use of the neuroendoscope, a slender rod with a lens in it that is attached to a camera and allows a neurosurgeon to clearly see and operate upon deep regions of the brain with minimal disruption of surrounding areas. Neuroendoscopes are frequently used during minimally invasive hydrocephalus, craniosynostosis, tumor and skull base surgeries.
• Hybrid operating rooms - Hybrid ORs enable surgical teams to accommodate several different procedures simultaneously. Patients with complex conditions do not need to be transported to different locations to undergo lifesaving surgeries or advanced imaging, such as angiography.
• Stereotactic navigation - Another crucial device is the computerized navigation system which helps our neurosurgeons precisely target brain regions using virtual 3D models made from the patient’s imaging.
• Neurophysiologic monitoring - the neurosurgery team also works closely with the intraoperative neuromonitoring team for operations that involve the most sensitive portions of the brain and spinal cord. Throughout the surgery, the function of the patient’s nerve pathways is being monitored on a computer to maximize the safety of the procedure.
• Ultrasound - uses sound waves to create real-time pictures of the inside of the brain and spinal cord on a computer monitor.
• Stereoelectroencephalography - For a patient with epilepsy whose seizures don’t respond to medicine or other treatments, our team of surgeons can pinpoint the source of the patient’s seizures in his or her brain using stereoelectroencephalography, or SEEG. SEEG is a procedure that uses sophisticated technology to implant electrodes into the brain through tiny holes in the skull. The electrodes monitor seizure activity.
• Neurosurgical robot - a precision neurosurgical robot often aids electrode placement for procedures like SEEG
• Minimally invasive laser - Using the iMRI and navigation systems, our neurosurgeons can offer minimally invasive laser ablation. A thin catheter is carefully placed through a small opening with its tip precisely targeted to an area of abnormal brain, for example, certain tumors or seizure generators. Laser energy is then applied to destroy the area using heat, while the iMRI monitors the temperature of surrounding normal brain regions to protect them.

All of these decrease the probability of multiple operations, allow minimally invasive procedures whenever possible, increase overall surgical success, minimize pain and promote faster recovery.

Appointments/referrals

At UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, every child diagnosed with a condition requiring neurosurgical expertise is cared for with an individualized treatment plan. We see patients within just a few days for non-emergency cases and within 24 hours for urgent cases.

New Patients and Self-Referrals:

Please call our offices in Gainesville at 352.273.6990.

And later, it would be helpful if you could please print and complete the Patient Health History Questionnaire below. Then, fax it to us at 352.392.2443 or bring it to your first appointment. Thank You!

• Pediatric Health History Questionnaire

Returning Patients and Prescription Refills:

Please call our offices in Gainesville at 352.273.9000 or 800.346.3275.

Inpatient Care locations

UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital

1600 SW Archer Road
Gainesville, FL 32608
(Parking in adjacent East Garage off S Newell Drive)

More information

Outpatient Care locations

Gainesville
UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital

1505 SW Archer Road, 1st Floor
Gainesville, FL 32608
(Parking in adjacent garage at 1345 13th Avenue, on right)

More information

Ocala
UF Health Pediatric Specialties – Oakhurst

1329 SE 25th Loop, Suite 101
Ocala, FL 34471
(Parking in front of the building)

More information

Tallahassee
UF Health Pediatric Specialties

2390 Phillips Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(Parking in front of the building)

More information

Lake City
UF Health Pediatric Neurosurgery - Lake City

755 State Road 47
Lake City, FL 32025
(Parking in front of the building)

More information

Daytona
UF Health Neurosurgery – Halifax Health
Professional Building, 5th floor

311 N. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
(Parking in front of the building)

More Information

Meet Your Care Team

Pediatric Neurosurgery Team

• Lance S. Governale, MD
• Jason E. Blatt, MD
• Carolynn Hazen-Hamilton, APRN
• Christina Rockey

Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Clinical Team

• Matthew Cascio, DO
• Elias Sayour, MD, PhD
• Lance S. Governale, MD
• Jason E. Blatt, MD
• Biljana Horn, MD
• Robert Amdur, MD
• Danny Indelicato, MD
• Jeanne Krauser, ARNP
• Marcia Hodik, RN, BSHS, CCRC
• Jennifer King, RN

Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Team

• Duane Mitchell, MD, PhD
• Elias Sayour, MD, PhD
• Catherine Flores, PhD
• Loic P. Deleyrolle, PhD 

Insurance information

View all accepted insurances at UF Health Shands Hospital

Phone numbers

New patient appointments

352.273.6990

Main office

352.273.9000

For more info about UF Health Pediatric Surgery, please visit here.