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CLINICAL
CENTERS |
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The Case Department of Neurology cares for a broad
spectrum of neurologic disorders. The Department is
organized into the following centers:
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Brain Tumor Center
 The
Center consists of Neuro-oncologists working closely with the Department of Neurosurgery,
Department of Radiation Oncology and the nationally
renowned
Ireland Cancer Center. Together, they comprise a
multidisciplinary team to focus on diagnoses and
treatments of neoplasms affecting the nervous system.
The neurology medical director is
Dr. Lisa Rogers.
The Ireland Cancer Center, a partnership of University
Hospitals and Case Western Reserve
University, is the only cancer center in northern Ohio
to have earned Comprehensive Cancer Center designation,
the National Cancer Institute’s highest designation. |
Epilepsy Center
 The
Epilepsy Center is a collaboration
between specialists in the Department of Neurology,
Department of Neurosurgery and the Division of Pediatric
Neurology (Department of Pediatrics) that provides the
best possible care to persons with seizure disorders,
irrespective of age. This team has at its disposal the
complete range of modern neurological testing, including
video-EEG, positron emission tomography (PET),
functional MR imaging (fMRI), and neuropsychological
testing. The goal is to determine the cause of the
seizures, and then to devise the best possible
therapeutic response. Because members of the Center are
engaged in research on new therapeutic agents, their
patients have access to medications that are not
generally available. The neurological physicians work
closely with adult and pediatric neurological surgeons
to help patients who may benefit from surgical
procedures tailored to control or entirely cure the
source of the seizures.
Dr. Hans Lüders
is the Director of the Center, and
together with Drs. Mohamad Koubeissi,
Shahram Amina and
Tanvir Syed are primarily
responsible for evaluation of adult patients. Drs.
Mark Scher and
Monisha Goyal of the Division of Pediatric Neurology
in the Department of Pediatrics care for neonates and
children with epilepsy.
Physicians in the Center are especially attentive to
providing family members and caregivers with an
understanding of the complex ways in which seizures may
affect an individual's emotional well-being. |
General and
Community
Neurology Center
 The
Center of General and Community Neurology provides
outpatient and inpatient care for a broad range of
disorders. The most common neurologic complaints are
headaches, seizures and other spells, numbness and gait
disturbance. Also included in the Center is the care of
patients with
Multiple Sclerosis.
Ongoing management of multiple sclerosis is provided,
with an emphasis on
preventive care for secondary complications. In
addition, members of the Center are available for
second opinions and consultation regarding optimal
treatment and follow-up.
Patients and referring physicians who are
uncertain of the etiology of their complaint should
contact this center first. If subsequent care can be
provided more efficiently by an appropriate
subspecialist, appropriate referral will be arranged.
Most active in the Center are Drs.
Edward Westbrook,
Michael Devereaux,
Daniel Miller,
Marek Buczek,
Amer
Alshekhlee and Daniel
Koontz.Tina Blitz,and
Collen Tomcik. |
Memory and
Cognition Center
 Within
the Memory and Cognition Center is the
Memory and Aging Center (formerly the Alzheimer
Center), a unique resource that combines the strengths
of Case Medical Center, the School of
Medicine, and other Schools in Case Western Reserve
University in providing the best possible care, and an
innovative research program.
The clinical program works
with family and other caregivers to provide the best
possible environment for individuals with declining
cognitive abilities. Patient evaluations are usually
carried out at the Park East Medical Building in
Beachwood. The clinical program is directed by
Dr. Alan J. Lerner. Also
included in the Center is
Clinical
Neuropsychology. The Neuropsychology
Program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center
provides clinical neuropsychological services to a wide
range of individuals with suspected or known disorders
of the central nervous system. Faculty and
Neuropsychology program staff work closely with other
faculty of the Neurological Institute to provide
state-of-the-art neuropsychological evaluation and
treatments. Specialty neuropsychological services are
provided for specific Centers of the Neurological
Institute, including Epilepsy, Memory and Cognition,
Movement Disorders, Neuro-oncology, General Neurology,
and Neuropsychiatry. The center is directed by
Phillip Fastenau, PhD.
Other members included Michael R.
Schoenberg, PhD; Cynthia Griggins, PhD; and
Paula K. Ogrocki, PhD. |
Movement Disorders Center
 The Movement Disorders
Center directed by
Dr. David
Riley which provides
specialized care for persons with Parkinson's disease,
Huntington's chorea, essential tremor, dystonia, and
other disorders characterized by an alteration in the
control of voluntary movement. Treatment is available
with a broad array of medications and injection with
botulinum toxin (especially for dystonia), as well as
neurosurgical therapies (e.g., deep brain stimulation)
for selected conditions.
The Center carries out an energetic program of
research into new medications, and patients thus benefit
from the opportunity to use medications that are not
generally available. In cooperation with the Department
of Neurological Surgery, the Center is able to
recommend particular neurosurgical procedures to
patients who may find them especially advantageous. The
Center of Movement Disorders has a particular
commitment to helping family members and caregivers to
understand the nature of these illnesses, and how they
affect the individual. Patients and referring physicians
who would like expert advice, but who would prefer
routine care by their own physicians, are welcome to
seek consultation and recommendations for patterns of
care. Investigators interested in funding for movement
disorders,
click here. |
Neuro-Critical Care
Center
 Critical Care Neurology is one of the newest and growing
specialties in neurology. The Neuroscience Care Unit (NSU) is a 14-bed unit, under the direction of
Michael DeGeorgia, MD.
The unit is designed for the care
of neurology and neurosurgical patients who require
specialized intensive nursing and medical care. The NSU cares for a wide array of patients with
critical illness affecting the nervous system. This
includes patients with acute stroke, encephalitis and neurologic causes of respiratory failure, especially Guillain-Barre syndrome and myasthenia gravis.
The needs
of these patients are quite different from other ICU
patients. The role of the neurointensivist includes care
of the critically ill, involvement in acute treatment of
stroke (i.e., Brain Attack), prognostication to family
members, teaching of all personnel, determinations of
brain death, and critical evaluation of novel treatments
for acute stroke. |
Neuromuscular
Center
 The Neuromuscular
Center directed by
Dr. Bashar
Katirji offers comprehensive diagnostic evaluation,
consultation, treatment and management for all
neuromuscular disorders, including suspected peripheral
neuropathies, entrapment neuropathies, radiculopathies,
plexopathies, spinal disorders, myopathies including
inflammatory muscle disorders and muscular dystrophy,
and motor neuron disease. The Center also has an active
interest in the care of patients with
Myasthenia Gravis. Patients are seen at
the Case Medical Center, University Suburban
Health Center, Chagrin Highlands, Westlake
Medical Center and the Bedford Medical Center. Individuals with rare and complex
disorders, such as the inherited muscular dystrophies,
may obtain expert advice and care in the Muscle Clinic,
a resource for specialized care for at least three
decades at University Hospitals.
The Center includes some of the nation's most
respected neuromuscular experts. Joining Dr. Katirji are
Drs. David Preston,
Barbara Shapiro,
Gerald Grossman,
Amer Alshekhlee,
Daniel Miller,
Marek Buczek and Daniel
Koontz. The
Center is engaged in active clinical research directed
by Dr. Barbara Shapiro.
 Within
the Neuromuscular Center is included the
Autonomic Disorders
Program and Laboratory. The Autonomic Function Program is an almost unique
resource for the care of patients with disorders
affecting the autonomic nervous system. These disorders
include multiple system atrophy, pure autonomic failure,
reflex sympathetic dystrophy, hypotension,
postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS),
fainting, and abnormalities of sweating, bladder and
sexual dysfunction.
Dr. Thomas Chelimsky,
the Director, has specific expertise in those illnesses
altering autonomic function. Clinical evaluation takes
advantage of the techniques available for neuromuscular
disorders as well as specialized tests of autonomic
function available in the Autonomic Laboratory.
Autonomic problems may accompany the complex regional
pain syndromes. For more information about the Autonomic
Disorders Program,
click here. |
Stroke and Cerebrovascular
Center
 The
Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center is
a collaboration among the Departments of Neurology,
Neurosurgery and Interventional Neuroradiology. The
Center is under the direction of
Dr. Cathy Sila. Other members
of the Center within the Department of Neurology include Drs.
Anythony Furlan,
Edward Westbrook,
Sophia Sundararajan,
Michael DeGeorgia,
and Svetlana Pundik.
The center has become a leading
force in the development of the "Brain Attack" concept,
which provides comprehensive care for patients with cerebrovascular disorders, ranging from prevention
through detection and emergency treatment to intelligent
and compassionate rehabilitation.
The Brain Attack Team (BAT) at Case Medical Center of University Hospitals
provides specialized emergency care for all patients
presenting within six hours of the onset of their cerebrovascular deficit. Brain Attack protocols optimize rapid evaluation and
management. |
Neuro-Ophthalmology and
Balance Center
 The Neuro-ophthalmology
and Balance Center deals with a broad
range of disorders that affect balance and vision, ranging from
diseases of the afferent visual pathways to those
adversely affecting eye movements. Common neuro-ophthalmic
complaints include vision and visual field loss, double
vision, blepharospasm, dizziness, oscillopsia and
vertigo, abnormalities of the pupil and eye pain and
headache.
The clinical Division of Neuro-Ophthalmology at
University Hospitals, directed by Dr. Robert Tomsak,
provides the
full range of clinical neuro-ophthalmological services.
The clinical program at University Hospitals continues
to work closely with the active research programs of
Dr.
R. John Leigh, Dr. L. Dell'Osso and
Dr. John Stahl at
the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
Their research is particularly well-known for important
contributions relating the pathophysiology of nystagmus
and other ocular oscillations and also study of
pharmacologic, surgical and biomechanical treatments for
these conditions. |
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