Neurosurgery

The Paediatric Neurosurgery Service at Monash Children’s Hospital Clayton provides expertise in the assessment and management of patients with brain tumours, myelomeningocele (spine or spinal cord defects) and other forms of spina bifida, hydrocephalus and intracranial or spinal fluid collections.

Head of Neurosurgery at the Monash Children’s Hospital, Associate Professor Andrew Danks, is an experienced adult and paediatric neurosurgeon. He specialises in cranial neurosurgery including brain tumours, hydrocephalus and related CSF disorders, ventriculoscopy, movement disorders and vascular lesions including Moya-Moya disease and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs.) He is also experienced in the repair and subsequent management of Chiari malformation, spina bifida and related spinal disorders.

Professor Danks trained in Melbourne, and as a Fellow at the Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals of Harvard University. He has practised in this field for 20 years since completing his training and is a member of the International Society of Paediatric Neurosurgery, the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Congress of Neurosurgery.

Mr Chris Xenos is a consultant neurosurgeon with a public and private practice at Monash Health. He has more than 15 years’ experience in adult and paediatric neurosurgical cases, with a special interest in complex hydrocephalus, cerebrospinal fluid disorders and congenital abnormalities.

Mr Homapour MBCHB, FRCS(SN), MSc, completed his neurosurgical training in the UK with a subspecialty Fellowship in Paediatric Neurosurgery at the Great Ormond Street Hospital London, the largest and busiest unit in the UK for children with neurological disorders. He has a wide range of experience in treating children with highly complex conditions including spinal and cranial dysraphism, spinal deformity, epilepsy, supra/infratentorial tumours, vascular disorders such as Moya, as well as more general neurosurgical conditions such as trauma and CSF disorders. He also has further post CCT Paediatric Neurosurgery fellowship experience from Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. He has a strong academic track record with an MSc in Surgical Sciences, multiple publications and national/international presentations.

Neonatal neurosurgery

Neonates are managed in conjunction with the neonatologists in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), or other less intensive ward settings.

Emergency neurosurgery

Emergency neurosurgery is catered for, including head injuries. The unit maintains a 24/7 coverage.

Neuroradiology

Advanced interventional neuroradiology is available for management of neurovascular conditions, such as Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs), aneurysms and vascular tumours.

Urgent referrals

For urgent neurosurgery referrals to the Paediatric Neurosurgery Service please contact the on-call neurosurgery registrar at Monash Medical Centre, Clayton via Monash switchboard on (03) 9594 6666. Alternatively, emergencies may be referred directly to the Paediatric Emergency Department at Monash Medical Centre Clayton on (03) 9594 2430.

Referral guidelines

Please refer to our referral guidelines prior to referring.

General referrals 

Elective cases or inquiries may be referred to outpatients:

Phone: 1300 3 iCARE – 1300 342 273
Fax: 959 iCARE – (03) 9594 2273

Patients are also seen on referral from the emergency departments of Monash Health and other regional hospitals. Inpatient referrals are received via the usual pathways from the paediatric units.