Neurological effects of COVID-19 in children have been most common in those who had a preexisting neurological condition, representing both new symptoms and a continuation or worsening of previous symptoms, according to a recently published study in JAMA Neurology. Among children hospitalized for COVID-19, the study of patients at 61 U.S. hospitals found 21% had…
Children who are behind their peers in motor skills, speech, listening, understanding or social development are developmentally delayed, a common condition affecting 15% to 20% of children nationally. “It’s important to identify and screen for these children, because we clearly know that earlier recognition and earlier intervention leads to significantly greater gains later in life…
Concussion recognition, diagnosis and treatment have improved significantly in recent years. To further that progress (especially in pediatric patients), Tad D. Seifert, M.D. a neurologist and sports concussion specialist with Norton Neuroscience Institute Sports Neurology Center, offers some do’s and don’ts for primary care providers. While concussions often are associated with sports injuries, Dr. Seifert’s…
Assessing a child for cerebral palsy treatment and therapy starts with understanding the etiology, which parts of the body are affected and identifying the predominant movement pattern, according to Catherine P. Schuster, M.D., medical director of Norton Children’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. “The underlying cause of cerebral palsy…
On the third Wednesday of each month, a team of specialists from across Norton Children’s come together to provide multidisciplinary care to kids with spina bifida (SB). Since 2016, the Norton Children’s Spina Bifida Clinic — in coordination with the Kentucky Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs — has provided a care model…
New providers with Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, are seeing patients in Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Paducah, Kentucky, bringing sophisticated care closer to kids. Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute operates a network of outpatient care centers in the Louisville area, in Western Kentucky and in Corbin in Southeastern Kentucky….
A new multidisciplinary cerebral palsy clinic for children who need a higher level of care has opened in the Novak Center for Children’s Health in downtown Louisville. The clinic aims to streamline care, make appointments easier for families and improve outcomes. “Multidisciplinary clinics allow one patient to be seen by multiple doctors instead of the…
A 5-year-old girl arrived in the Norton Children’s Hospital emergency department in December with behavior that was frightening her parents and her siblings. Earlier in the month, the girl began moving abnormally and had become prone to emotional outbursts. One day she repeated the word “puppy” over and over and then laughed hysterically. The next,…
Cloaca — a severe anorectal malformation where the genital, urinary and gastrointestinal tracts share a common channel — can be observed through prenatal ultrasound, and pediatricians should be alerted to the possibility of persistent cloaca, according to a study published recently in Global Pediatric Health. Prenatal ultrasound findings may raise suspicion of a persistent cloaca,…
The majority of children with epilepsy respond well to medications. However, 20% to 30% of patients with epilepsy have seizures that are difficult to control even with two or more appropriately chosen antiseizure medications. When seizures cannot be controlled by two or three medications, this is referred as refractory epilepsy. High seizure burden in children…
Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, has created multidisciplinary clinics so children with spina bifida — and children with other complicated conditions — can see all subspecialists in one place during a single two- or three-hour visit. A child with spina bifida needs care from a number of specialists. As…
A powerful new technology gives neurosurgeons at Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, an incredible tool for planning complex surgeries and then sharing that information with patients and families in virtual reality (VR). The technology, called Surgical Theater, is capable of combining CT, MRI, fMRI and PET imaging into a…