Many of the experts at the Center for Endovascular Surgery are also part of the Vascular Birthmarks Institute of New York, a unique, multidisciplinary institute that is exclusively dedicated to the treatments of vascular lesions of the head, neck and other parts of the body.

This collaboration between the Center and the Institute has produced a reputation for excellence among patients. Many of these patients are children.

Pediatric head and neck conditions treated by the Center include:

• Hemangiomas, which are benign vascular tumors.
• Vascular malformations, formed by abnormal blood vessels.
• Venous malformations, which are abnormal blood vessels in the venous system.
• Arteriovenous malformations or AVMs, formed by a complex short circuit between arteries and veins that result in an abnormal arrangement in the circulation.
• Lymphatic malformations, which occur in the lymphatic system. These malformations result in an enlarged mass of accumulated excessive fluid and lymphatic channels.
• Various vascular tumors of the head and neck.

Many patients come to the Center from all over the country and abroad. This volume allows the team to follow patterns, even among less frequently occurring pediatric head and neck conditions, which enables them to appropriately diagnose conditions and to develop innovative head and neck treatments in children.

Typically, the goal of pediatric head and neck treatments is to seal off abnormal blood vessels, destroy them or prepare them for safe surgical removal. At the Center, head and neck treatments in children carefully balance the concept of waiting for possible shrinkage with the emotional toll of deformity. The Center's philosophy leans toward the proactive, with early intervention in children often chosen as the successful strategy.

Pediatric head and neck treatments can include combinations of:

• Traditional surgery.
• Minimally invasive endovascular surgery.
• Embolization.
• Laser technology.
• Sclerotherapy.
• The use of image-guided technology and pediatric interventional radiology.
• Medications.

Through the resources of both the Center and the Institute, every child's care is handled by a case-management approach, ensuring that the team takes an interdisciplinary view of the individual and his or her pediatric head and neck condition.