Baptist Health and Wolfson Children’s Hospital were recognized as a designated clinical center by the Angioma Alliance for the treatment of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) in both adults and children.
A cerebral cavernous malformation, also known as a cerebral cavernous angioma or cavernoma, is a raspberry-shaped collection of abnormal blood vessels with thin, leaky walls, most often found in the brain and the spinal cord.
They can grow at any age, including in young children, though they are most likely to become symptomatic when a person is between ages 20-40.
Wolfson Children’s is the first children’s hospital in Florida to receive this designation and the only pediatric hospital in the Southeast. Baptist Health is the only designated CCM clinical center in the Northeast Florida region.
“It’s an honor to be the first children’s hospital in Florida to receive this designation,” said Philipp Aldana MD, co-medical director of the Walter and Michelle Stys Neuroscience Institute at Wolfson Children’s and pediatric neurosurgeon at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville. “Our team has worked closely with the Angioma Alliance to move this program forward as we are committed to providing outstanding care closer to home for children and families affected by CCMs. We look forward to raising visibility for this complex disease and helping patients get faster access to optimized treatments.”
Angioma Alliance is a patient/family advocacy organization dedicated to informing, supporting and mobilizing those impacted by CCMs and driving research for better treatments and a cure. Baptist Health and Wolfson Children’s were required to meet specific criteria to achieve CCM clinical center status.
“Only one in 500 people have a cerebrovascular cavernous malformation,” said Ricardo Hanel MD, neurosurgeon at Baptist Health. “While most people will have no symptoms, the condition can be devastating. Patients and families facing this diagnosis search for a team with expansive expertise that will create an individualized care and treatment plan. We’re honored to provide this coordinated, compassionate care at Baptist Health and Wolfson Children’s Hospital and to be recognized by the Angioma Alliance for our CCM program.”
