ABSTRACT
Caring for infants and children undergoing neurosurgical procedures presents unique challenges to both neurosurgeons and anesthesiologists. To provide anesthesia safely and effectively, anesthesiologists need to have a thorough understanding of pediatric neurophysiology and age-dependent variables that are distinctive to the pediatric population. This chapter highlights the key points of the common pediatric neurological disorders and reviews the age-dependent physiologic differences and their effects on anesthetic management for neurosurgical procedures. There is no standard way to induce anesthesia in children for neurosurgical procedures. The choice of anesthetic induction should be dictated by the patient's neurological status and coexisting medical issues. Chiari malformation is a congenital condition defined by anatomic anomalies of the craniocervical junction with downward displacement of the cerebellar structures through the foramen magnum, frequently associated with syringomyelia. Myelomeningocele is the most common form of the open neural tube defect, presenting as a posterior midline bone defect with exposed meninges and flat plate of dysplastic neural tissue.
