Dr. Chariker Makes an Impact with New Research

Dr. Chariker not only makes rounds with his patients, but also makes rounds of another sort, as a frequent speaker at surgical conferences and a contributor to medical journals.

In just the last few months, he has:

• Presented at the Tri-State Craniofacial Conference, held at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. His presentation was on the “Outcome of an Algorithmic Approach to the Treatment of Meningocele.” In plain English, that means he was presenting a new set of rules and procedures for the proper diagnosis of a Meningocele — a herniated malformation of the lower spine common in children with spina bifida. The presentation discussed how well the new procedures work, and how physicians should be incorporating them into their practices.
• Authored an article in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. The article, titled “Pituitary Duplication with Nasopharyngeal Teratoma and Cleft Palate” discusses a relatively rare but very severe series of birth defects in children. Kids with this rare combination of medical issues are born with extra pituitary glands and a type of invasive tumor of the nose called a teratoma, in addition to a full or partial cleft palate.