Tulane Orthopaedics

Tulane University Pediatric Orthopaedics is uniquely positioned in the New Orleans health care market to provide care for a large demographically diverse population. We accept referrals from Lafayette and Baton Rouge as well as the Mississippi Gulf Coast. There is not an overabundance of trauma which sometimes distracts from core Pediatric Orthopaedics. Tulane University Hospital is equipped with the latest technologies, such as a new $850,000 3-dimensional CT scanner which allows virtual imagery during surgery along with stealth navigation. When used in spine deformity surgeries, it results in improved safety and accuracy in the placement of spinal implants. Verification of the position of implants can be achieved prior to the patient leaving the operating room. Other uses include verification of successful closed reduction of congenitally dislocated hips (CDH) and 3-D reconstruction in the operating room of complex trauma and tumor application. Tulane has the only such operating room 3-D CAT scanner in Louisiana as of January 2009; there are less than 100 in the world at this time.

The Tulane Pediatric Orthopaedics and Scoliosis Section provides diagnosis, evaluation and treatment for the entire spectrum of orthopaedic conditions and disorders in infants, children and adolescents. This includes congenital and acquired malformations of the musculoskeletal system (clubfoot, congenital dislocation of the hip, Legg-Perthes, cerebral palsy), trauma and fractures, scoliosis and other spinal abnormalities, and hand surgery. Adolescent sports medicine services are also available through the Sports Medicine section. The Section of Pediatric Orthopaedics expects expansion of the section in November with the addition of another pediatric orthopaedist. Dr. James Bennett, Section Head, is a native of New Orleans, graduated from Tulane School of Engineering and Tulane Medical School. Fellowship trained in Pediatric Orthopaedics and certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons and American Board of Spine Surgery, his special interests include scoliosis and spine deformity as well as general pediatric orthopaedic surgery. His recent presentations include “Segmental Pedicle Screw Fixation with Convex Direct Vertebral Rotation for Correction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis” at the annual meeting of IMAST in Hong Kong (2008) and “O-Arm in Correction of Spinal Deformity” at the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association meeting (20008).