The Adult Neurology Department of the Hospital de Clínicas, in addition to outpatient consultations and care in the common room intention units and intensive care units, offers patients the possibility of undergoing a series of specific studies. Also various treatments and even teleconsultations in some cases.
Dr. Martha Sady Galeano, head of the Department, reported that studies such as the electroencephalogram are performed between 80 and 100 per month. She explained that this study is very useful in patients with a history of repeated seizures, they call it status epilepticus, which allows daily monitoring of how they are progressing according to the medication they receive.
Meanwhile, at the level of public access, the FCM-UNA teaching hospital is the only one that has electromyography and a hospital fee, highlighted the specialist. This equipment allows studies to be carried out to determine the functioning of the peripheral nervous system (nerve and muscle).
“It is useful because it helps diagnose peripheral nerve diseases; in others, it provides diagnostic support, for example, of myasthenia gravis (weakness and rapid fatigue of any of the muscles, caused by a break in the normal communication between the nerves and the muscles),” he said, adding that a test must be done for this. of repetitive stimulation.
This study is also done to detect carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a channel between the wrist bones and the annular carpal ligament. Other diseases that can be detected by electromyography are amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myopathies, diabetic polyneuropathy, polyneuropathies, radiculopathies, neuropathies, Guillain Barré Syndrome.
Neurophysiology Laboratory
He announced that the next plan is to enable a neurophysiology laboratory so that epileptic patients can be studied, who can benefit from epilepsy surgery. To that end, Dr. Silvia Adriana González is pursuing her master’s degree specializing in epilepsy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He commented that the doctor returns in February and will be in charge of setting up the laboratory. She added that as a teaching hospital, epilepsy surgeries should be performed and this will also make it possible to carry out Parkinson’s surgeries with neurosurgeons.
Hospital day
On the other hand, in the Day Hospital of the Adult Neurology Department, several drugs are dripped, according to the patient’s treatment. In this sense, there are those who receive immunoglobulins in systemic crises and in multiple sclerosis crises they carry out the drip of methylprednisolone.
Anticonvulsant treatment is carried out in patients who arrive convulsing, treatment of various types of pain through nerve injections and infiltration with botulinum toxin in patients with migraine, nervous tics, dystonia, among others.
They also perform lumbar puncture for diagnosis and as treatment in case of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. They also treat women with menstrual disorders with polycystic ovary and visual disturbances with headache through an evacuating lumbar puncture and in this way improve patients. They also provide treatment for Pompe disease and have a demyelinating disease unit.
How to consult?
The scheduling is in person at the Secretary of the Department of Adult Neurology, which, like the offices and Hospital Día, is located on the ground floor of the main hospitalization building of the Hospital de Clínicas. Outpatient consultations are held Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and then the doctors conduct a clinical meeting of inpatient cases.
teleconsultations
Dr. Martha Sady Galeano, stated that during the covid-19 pandemic they had implemented teleconsultations with a positive experience, which from 80 percent currently maintain between 30 to 40 percent. This applies to patients from remote districts of the country who do not have a way to get to the Hospital and it is up to the medical criteria to define who applies to be treated by said system.
“This is done with those patients who do not require too strict control, so we adjust the medication and control over the phone. Likewise in disabled patients who do not have how to move, ”she said. He stated that the first consultation must inevitably be in person.
