Orthopedic Care at Children's Hospital New Orleans

Treatment for infants, children & adolescents

Kids are meant to move and play. When they are injured and cannot, the orthopedic surgeons at Children’s Hospital New Orleans are here to help. We provide the latest surgical and non-surgical interventions for children of all ages with orthopedic conditions including, fractures, scoliosis, spinal cord deformities and injuries, and neuromuscular conditions. We work together with our patients and their families to answer questions and provide exceptional care for children so they can get back to being a kid as quickly as possible.

Why Orthopedics at Children’s Hospital New Orleans?

With close to 20,000 clinic visits per year, we treat most injuries sustained by kids and teens in our community. One third of those visits are treating fractures, sprains and other orthopedic trauma. We perform at least 1,400 surgeries per year, with more than 250 of those are spinal deformity surgeries. We also have the first Sports Medicine program in Louisiana dedicated to patients 21 years and younger.

We specialize in pediatric spine surgery, scoliosis, fracture treatment, tumors of the spine and extremities and much more.

Scoliosis and Spinal Deformity

Children’s Hospital New Orleans treats all spinal deformities including infantile, juvenile, adolescent, and neuromuscular scoliosis. We also treat spondylolisthesis and congenital abnormalities of the spine, including Spina Bifida.

Our treatment plans include non-surgical interventions such as casting to cure or improve infantile scoliosis. We also offer waterproof casting in addition to traditional casting materials. Our team has seen great successes with non-invasive treatment plans.

We also offer two innovative surgical interventions known as VEPTR and MAGEC Rod placement. The VEPTR (Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib), is an expandable rod that can be placed in children who are still growing. As the child grows, a small incision can be used to lengthen the rods to continue to improve the scoliosis.

MAGEC Rod (Magnetic Expansion Control) is a system used to treat severe spinal deformities in young children. Once implanted, the rods can be lengthened as needed in the doctor’s office without surgery. With the guidance of an ultrasound doppler and special magnet, the provider is able to lengthen the rod and straighten the spine. We are here to assess your child and determine if they are candidates for this technology.

We also offer the traditional posterior spinal fusion for those patients it is deemed unsafe to utilize VEPTR or MAGEC Rods. Children’s Hospital has a dedicated spine unit with specially trained providers to care for our spine patients and ensure they receive the best care while in the hospital. Our Spine Coordinator assists families in navigating through the pre and post-operative phases of spinal surgery.

Children’s Hospital is also excited to offer EOS x-ray technology. This allows us to obtain the best images with less radiation to our patients. This is also great for our spinal patients who undergo multiple x-ray studies to ensure their spines are treated appropriately and to monitor their progress.

Pediatric Orthopedic Trauma

Because Children’s Hospital New Orleans is an LCMC Health hospital, our patients with the most severe orthopedic traumas are treated at our sister facility, University Medical Center New Orleans which has the city’s only Level 1 Trauma Center. Once the child is stabilized, our orthopedics team will take over care at Children’s Hospital until they are able to return home.