Riley Shawcross was born with multisystemic smooth muscle dysfunction syndrome (MSMDS), a mutation in the ACTA2 gene so rare it affects only four people in Australia and 80 worldwide. The condition causes blood vessels throughout the body to behave abnormally, leaving her vulnerable to stroke. Since suffering her first transient ischaemic attack (TIA) in July 2024, she has experienced more than 25 mini-strokes, causing sudden loss of speech and movement.
After extensive consultation, her medical team determined that revascularisation surgery could improve blood flow to her brain. The first surgery was performed in July 2025. Before her second surgery, Perth Children's Hospital received a new state-of-the-art neuro-microscope, funded by the Perth Children's Hospital Foundation.
The device combines advanced magnification, illumination and fluorescence imaging with AI-powered and robotic features. Riley's surgeon, Dr Edward White, said the technology was invaluable in helping the team understand her changing brain anatomy. "Blood vessels are around half a millimetre wide, so these are structures that are incredibly difficult to see with the naked eye," he said.
Using the microscope, surgeons discovered that Riley's brain had begun growing its own new blood vessels, allowing them to tailor the surgery to preserve this self-repair. "Riley is stroke-free since April, and we are beyond thankful for that," said her mother, Stephanie Shawcross.
PCHF chief executive Carrick Robinson said the $1 million investment was about giving surgeons the best available tools. Neurosurgeon Dr Snigdha Saha confirmed the microscope is already in use for brain tumour resections and is expected to be used in more than half of the hospital's neurosurgeries, including neurovascular, brain cancer and spinal cases.