Support for Soldiers and Veterans You Gotta Have Heart The Joy of ...

Evaluation of and
treatment for a rare
birth defect that affects
the brain are available right
in your own backyard at the
Hypothalamic Hamartoma
Center (HHC), part of
North Shore-LIJ’s Cushing
Neuroscience Institute (CNI).
A hypothalamic
hamartoma is a benign
brain lesion found in the
hypothalamus, a small
but critical area located
deep within the brain that
is responsible for many
automatic functions,
including hunger, thirst, body
temperature and hormone
regulation. A hypothalamic
hamartoma can cause seizures,
premature puberty and
progressive deterioration
of behavioral and cognitive
function.
30 Summer 2012
New Center Takes On
Rare Birth Defect
By Michelle Pipia-Stiles
“Hypothalamic
hamartomas are debilitating,
but the good news is that
surgical removal of this birth
defect can result in a normal
or much improved life for the
patient,” said neurosurgeon
Harold Rekate, MD, director
of CNI’s Hypothalamic
Hamartoma Center. “Although
several treatment options are
available, the plan of clinical
care must be strategically
individualized because what
may be appropriate for
one patient may not be for
another, depending on the
anatomy of the lesion.”
In addition to Dr. Rekate,
the HHC is staffed with a
multidisciplinary team of
experts. “Since our physicians
and specialists are involved in all
treatment plans and therapies,
the Hypothalamic Hamartoma
Center is a prime destination
for those suffering from this
rare condition,” said Dr. Rekate.
Surgical removal of
hypothalamic hamartoma
involves working within the
center of the brain, while
protecting the many vital
structures that surround
the mass, including all the
arteries that supply the brain.
In most cases, the hamartoma
can be removed using an
endoscope, through a very
small hole in the skull, but
some patients require more
than one approach to remove
the mass completely.
Above: Two-year-old Mathewas
Ephrem, who was successfully
treated by Dr. Harold Rekate at the
Cushing Neuroscience Institute’s
Hypothalamic Hamartoma Center, is
pictured with his grateful parents.