Based on the data so far, the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for COVID-19 are considered safe for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and safe to use while on disease-modifying therapies, according to Geeta A. Ganesh, M.D., a Norton Neuroscience Institute neurologist who specializes in MS care. Coordinating the vaccine with some MS medications…
Diagnosing dementia in primary care and other practices starts with evidence of cognitive decline from a previous level of performance in one or more cognitive domains, according to Rachel N. Hart, D.O., a geriatric medicine specialist at Norton Neuroscience Institute. “Dementia really needs to have cognitive impairment that leads to a functional impairment or we…
Those who experience migraine know the pain. It’s not sinuses or “just a normal headache.” But do they know all of the migraine treatments that are available? The numbers bear it out: Migraine is a common condition and not centered in Louisville or Southern Indiana. More than 47 million Americans live with migraine, over 15%…
Bryan Davis, Psy.D., has joined the Norton Neuroscience Institute, providing psychological care to patients with neurological disorders. Dr. Davis, a licensed clinical psychologist, completed his clinical health psychology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis in Ohio. At the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Davis integrated behavioral medicine as part of the interdisciplinary team…
As a physician trained in family medicine who now specializes in headache treatment, I’ve seen migraines from both sides. Here are the five things every primary care provider should know when caring for migraine patients. The ‘sinus headache’ is largely a myth When a patient says they’re experiencing a sinus headache, 90% of the time…
Patients who have epilepsy and are thinking of getting pregnant may have questions about how epilepsy affects pregnancy or a fetus. Epilepsy affects each person differently, based on medication, hormones and other factors. Here are some things to know if your patient has epilepsy and wants to have a baby. Epilepsy is an umbrella term…
As a stroke neurologist, I provide acute care in the hospital. When it comes to stroke recovery and prevention of a recurrence, the real work happens outside of the hospital in the primary care setting in the months and years that follow. After stroke patients have been discharged, the primary care provider is there to…
As a neurosurgeon, the traditional way of managing patients was straightforward: Did they need surgery or not? Patients who didn’t need surgery usually were referred to an oncologist or another specialist, who took over their care. From there, patients might be referred, again, to another physician, or to a physical therapist or speech pathologist. At…
Cardiologists have used the radial approach for years. Now, endovascular neurosurgeons are discovering this approach as a better way to treat aneurysm and stroke. It’s more complex, but the benefits are worth it. Using the radial artery, rather than the femoral artery, means most patients recover faster and the procedure is significantly more comfortable. There’s…
The patient An 18-year-old man initially presented with the incidental finding five years earlier of a lesion in the left thalamus. He was followed with stable surveillance imaging until 2017 when the lesion started to enlarge. He underwent a stereotactic biopsy confirming juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma. The challenge Juvenile pilocytic astrocytomas are typically benign, well-defined tumors…
When David C. Hussung’s mom, Beth, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the early 1970s, there was very little local support to treat the disease. Thanks to David and his wife Rebekah’s $1 million donation to the Norton Healthcare Foundation, the newly named Hussung Family Multiple Sclerosis Center will provide patients with the latest…
Gamma Knife, CyberKnife, and TrueBeam may sounds like superheroes, but they are actually tools for treating brain tumors. These three machines are used for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), a non-surgical treatment option that uses high doses of precisely focused radiation beams to destroy cancer cells. What is Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)? Older versions of radiation therapy cast…