Pediatric neurosurgeons in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine bring a unique set of skills each day as they treat children of all ages at Riley Children’s Health and lead clinical research in groundbreaking neurosurgery techniques.
Two neurosurgeons who recently joined department faculty in August 2024 — Jason Chu, MD, MSc and Thomas Larrew, MD — have expanded the already robust pediatric specialty.
In addition to their expertise in general pediatric neurosurgery, Chu, associate professor of clinical neurological surgery, leads epilepsy and fetal neurosurgery programs for the department, and Larrew, assistant professor of neurological surgery, serves as the principal investigator for the department’s site with the Cerebral Palsy Research Network registry.
Jason Chu, MD, MSc
Chu, originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a graduate of Saint Louis University School of Medicine and completed his neurosurgery training at Emory University School of Medicine. Chu finished his pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital. Prior to joining IU School of Medicine, Chu was an assistant professor at the University of Southern California.
At IU School of Medicine and Riley Children’s Health, Chu serves as a surgical co-director for pediatric epilepsy and has experience with intracranial monitoring procedures such as grids/strips and stereroelectroencephalography to identify seizure foci in the brain, resective surgery for epilepsy, laser interstitial thermal therapy, hemispherectomy and other disconnection procedures and neuromodulation with responsive neurostimulation or vagal nerve stimulation.
He works in close conjunction with epileptologists, neuroradiologists and neuropsychologists in the comprehensive pediatric surgical epilepsy program — the only program like it in the state of Indiana — to identify and tailor the best surgical treatment for pediatric epilepsy.
Chu also brings expertise as the director of fetal neurosurgery. He closely collaborates with the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the IU School of Medicine and the Riley Children’s Health Spina Bifida Program to perform in utero surgery for patients with myelomeningocele, a severe type of spina bifida that occurs when the spinal cord doesn’t fully close during pregnancy. This causes a sac of fluid and tissue to push through the baby’s back, creating a gap in the bones of the spine.
In the Management of Myelomeningocele (MOMs) Trial, Chu said the investigators suggest in utero repair of myelomeningocele can decrease the development of symptomatic hydrocephalus — an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain — as well as improve developmental and motor outcomes in patients with open neural tube defects.
“Our group has adopted a minimally invasive technique that minimizes the risks of the surgery for the mother,” Chu said, “while preserving the potential benefits of in utero repair for the fetus.”
Chu has secondary focuses in pediatric cerebrovascular disorders, which include arteriovenous malformations, Vein or Galen malformations, cavernous malformation and moyamoya. He also has clinical interests in hydrocephalus, endoscopic neurosurgery, brain and spine tumors and congenital abnormalities.
Thomas Larrew, MD
Larrew comes to IU School of Medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina, where he completed his residency in neurological surgery and obtained a master’s degree in clinical research. He later completed a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
At IU School of Medicine and Riley Children’s Health, Larrew treats children with neurological diseases such as hydrocephalus, brain tumors, congenital cranial and spinal disorders, traumatic brain and spinal injuries and epilepsy. He also specializes in the surgical treatment of spasticity, which includes the condition in children with cerebral palsy, where he provides operations in intrathecal baclofen pump implantation and selective dorsal rhizotomy.
With extensive experience in neuroendoscopy — a surgical technique that uses an endoscope to diagnose and treat conditions in the brain and spine — Larrew provides minimally invasive, implant-free approaches to treat hydrocephalus in patients.
“My care goal for each patient and their family is compassionate care that is centered around shared decision-making between the patient and their family and myself, with consultation of all the highly trained experts at the IU School of Medicine.”
Additionally, Larrew is the principal investigator of the IU School of Medicine and Riley Children’s Health site for the Cerebral Palsy Research Network. The department contributes prospective registry data to multi-center trials and studies and improve the care of patients.
Larrew also has a strong interest in clinical research spanning a wide variety of topics in pediatric neurosurgery, including pediatric epilepsy surgery, spasticity, traumatic brain injury, hydrocephalus, tuberous sclerosis complex and outcomes research.
