Adult Services, Neuroscience

New surgeons allow multidisciplinary head and neck tumor care from diagnosis through follow-up

With the addition of a pair of surgeons, Norton Cancer Institute Head and Neck Tumor Program is now a fully integrated multidisciplinary team caring for patients from diagnosis through treatment to follow-up. Paul A. Tennant, M.D., and Mia Jusufbegovic, M.D., are the program’s first head and neck oncology surgeons. Previously, we worked from patient to…

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Adult Services, Case Study, Neuroscience

Mechanical thrombectomy for middle cerebral artery stroke leads to discharge 2 days later with NIH Stroke Scale score of 0

Incident details:   Date: 4/26/2022 Patient: Male Age: 66 Arrival to emergency department:11 a.m. Tom L. Yao, M.D., endovascular neurosurgeon, Norton Neuroscience Institute   Nadeem A. Talpur, M.D. stroke neurologist, Norton Neuroscience Institute   Richard Carlisle, M.D., emergency medicine physician, Norton Brownsboro Hospital Presenting complaint Confusion, comprehension deficit, slurred and garbled speech Emergency medical services…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Dementia care for communities of color

Dementia is an umbrella term that includes a range of symptoms associated with cognitive decline. Perhaps one of the best known and most common types — Alzheimer’s dementia — represents 60% to 80% of all dementia. It’s characterized by memory loss and, from a biological perspective, amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary (tau protein) tangles and neurodegeneration, which…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

The window of stroke care

Time saved is brain saved when it comes to stroke care. “Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S,” said Shervin R. Dashti, M.D., Ph.D., endovascular neurosurgeon and spine surgeon at Norton Neuroscience Institute. “Three-quarters of a million strokes per year, many million stroke survivors, and it’s one of the leading…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Imaging could lead to further expansion of tPA window

Additional data could lead to stronger guidelines extending the tPA window for ischemic strokes beyond the current 4½ hour limit in coming years, according to a Norton Neuroscience Institute stroke specialist. A common scenario faced in stroke centers is a patient who awoke with a deficit but doesn’t know when they had a stroke. The…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Phase 3 trial examines whether donanemab can prevent Alzheimer’s

Patients who are cognitively normal but have a family history or other concern about developing Alzheimer’s may be eligible to participate in a study looking at whether an investigational drug can slow or prevent the disease. Norton Neuroscience Institute is one of 230 centers around the country participating in the phase 3 trial of a…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

When are headache symptoms a red flag for a more serious condition?

When are headache symptoms consistent with migraine or red flags of a condition warranting urgent or emergency medical attention? Migraine occurs in a recurring pattern and can be diagnosed clinically, without MRI or other tests, according to Brian M. Plato, D.O., neurologist and director of headache medicine at Norton Neuroscience Institute. Because migraine occurs in…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Is it a stroke or does it just present like one?

Ischemic stroke is the among the leading causes of death in the United States, but so-called stroke mimics and stroke chameleons also can be deadly. At a recent presentation, Bryan J. Eckerle, M.D., neurologist with Norton Neuroscience Institute, discussed the differences. “A stroke mimic initially presents like an acute ischemic stroke, but the final diagnosis…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Delirium and dementia: Overlapping symptoms, but distinct syndromes

Delirium and dementia are distinct clinical syndromes, with symptoms that frequently overlap. Delirium is a neuropsychiatric condition that occurs acutely, a sudden and definite decline from the baseline, progressing over hours, days, or weeks, but not longer. It is treatable and, in most cases, reversible. Delirium is common in hospitalized patients, especially among older adults….

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Free classes for headache patients at Norton Neuroscience Institute

Headaches can interfere with patients’ daily lives in big and small ways. For providers, headache disorders can be difficult to diagnose and treat. “Patients who have more knowledge of their condition are generally going to have better success with treatment,” said Norton Neuroscience Institute headache specialist, Brian M. Plato, D.O. Often times, patients seek out…

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Adult Services, Cardiovascular, Neuroscience

Atrial fibrillation incidents found in large trial with stroke patients not thought to be at risk

Compared with usual care, implantable cardiac monitors (ICM) detected significantly more atrial fibrillation (AF) events in stroke patients who likely would not have been monitored long term for AF otherwise, according to a study published recently in JAMA. The trial, Stroke of Known Cause and Underlying Atrial Fibrillation, STROKE-AF trial for short, looked at patients…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Patients with multiple sclerosis often can continue driving after an assessment and vehicle modifications

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or another neurological diagnosis often can continue to drive, allowing them to keep a level of independence, once an assessment is conducted and any modifications and restrictions are adopted. Driving with MS can become difficult due to manifestations of the disease ranging from arm and leg weakness to medication-related cognition…

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