UI Neurosciences team offers world-renowned adult and pediatric services in the care of stroke and epliepsy patients and performing rare and complex procedures, including skull based surgery, Chiari malformations treatment, and transoral procedures for craniovertebral junction abnormalities and removal of pituitary tumors through the nose. The UI Stroke Center works with area and regional hospitals to make intra-arterial administration of tPA available to patients before they are transferred to UI Hospitals and Clinics.
Our patient care commitment emphasizes compassion, convenience, and comfort, as well as the most advanced technical expertise in an academic medical center.
As one measure of UI Neurosciences clinical excellence, it was ranked among the top 25 departments in the nation in the most recent U.S.News and World Report poll. UI researchers are recognized for their work in the areas of Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and balance disorders.
Neurology Clinical Services
The UI Neurology Department offers a broad spectrum of care. The UI Stroke Program offers 24/7 consultation with a stroke physician and has a full–time nurse coordinator. As part of a multidisciplinary team, the department offers inpatient epilepsy monitoring for the diagosis of epilepsy and other seizure disorders. The UI Sleep Disorders Center is a one–of–a–kind resource for patients with sleep issues. The department also has a highly trained neuro–muscular sub–specialist and four sub–specialists who treat a broad range of movement disorders. Additionally, they offer comprehensive treatment for a number of other neurological disorders including MS and an adult MDA clinic.
U.S.News & World Report Rankings
U.S.News & World Report has listed neurology and neurosurgery at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics at No. 21 in its annual ranking of best hospitals. In all, U.S.News listed 10 University of Iowa adult and three pediatric specialties at No. 35 or higher in its top-50 rankings.
Code Stroke Program
"Code Stroke" designates our comprehensive, coordinated, and quick response to patients experiencing acute stroke symptoms. Whether the call comes from our own hospital or from another emergency room in our area, a single page activates a team of physicians, neurosurgeons, nurses, and other providers who specialize in stroke care. Our Primary Stroke Center holds advanced certification from the Joint Commission. When minutes matter most, physicians throughout Iowa can get expert advice from one of our attending neurologists.
Visit us online at www.uihealthcare.org/stroke or contact stroke coordinator Erin Rindels at erin-rindels@uiowa.edu for more information.
Neurosurgery Services
Neurosurgery's clinical services are designed around patient–centered care interwoven with operating room expertise. All appointments with the Department of Neurosurgery require a physician referral.
UI Hospitals and Clinics neurosurgeons offer the most advanced treatment of syringomyelia (SM) and Chiari malformation (CM) in the country. Neurosurgeon Arnold Menezes, MD, medical director of the American Syringomyelia Alliance Project, a patient support organization, has more than 30 years of experience with the surgical treatment of the cranio–cervical junction, including CM. The prevalence of CM is 1 in every 2,000 Americans, and patients diagnosed with the disorder need immediate help by a highly experienced neurosurgeon.
Research
Funded research spans a large segment of the spectrum of neuroscience investigation ranging from neuroepidemiology to clinical translational research, molecular biology, and systems cognitive neuroscience. The Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery host 10 individual NIH grants and 20 NIH subcontracts totaling $4.8 million annually in total costs, plus an additional 3 VA Merit Review grants.
UI Neurosciences research interests include:
Epilepsy
- Cerebrovascular Disease
- SPARCL Trial
- CLOSURE I Study– A Randomized Trial Comparing Transcatheter Patent Foramen Ovale Closure With the STARFLEX® Septal Occluder to Best Medical Therapy in Selected Stroke and TIA Patients.
- SWISS Study– Siblings with Ischemic Stroke Study
- Parkinson's disease
- Huntington's Disease
- Human Brain Research Laboratory
- Behavorial Neurology
- Neuroergonomics
The Stroke Center
The Stroke Center has had a number of accomplishments related to clinical research in prevention or treatment of persons with vascular diseases of the nervous system. The two most prominent are:
- The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale — this clinical rating instrument that can be used by physicians or other medical personnel to document the severity of stroke was developed at the University of Cincinnati and The University of Iowa. This scale now is used around the world because of its ease in use and strong predictive power.
- The Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment Classification– this system was developed by physicians at the University of Iowa to help categorize the causes of brain infarction. This classification system now is used around the world in clinical research on stroke.
Epilepsy Gene Discovery
A UI Health Care–led international research team has found a new gene associated with the brain disorder epilepsy (Nov. 7, 2008, American Journal of Human Genetics ). While the PRICKLE1 gene mutation was specific to a rare form of epilepsy, the study results could help lead to new ideas for overall epilepsy treatment. "The study results were surprising not only because the PRICKLE1 gene had never been associated with epilepsy but also because the gene was not associated with any other human disease," said the study's lead author, UI pediatrics specialist Alex Bassuk, MD, PhD. Additional UI–led studies could potentially lead to the development of new drugs for people with epilepsy.
UI Sleep Center
The UI Sleep Disorders Center was selected as a site for a drug study for people with persistent sleepiness despite successful treatment of sleep apnea with CPAP because it has one of the world's few formal CPAP follow–up clinics.
Epilepsy and Brain Function
The University of Iowa is a leader in the surgical treatment of epilepsy, which lets many patients who don’t respond to medications become seizure-free. Pre-operative evaluation involves placement of electrodes and careful, real-time monitoring of the brain’s electrical activity to precisely locate the source of seizures.
Now, a fascinating outgrowth of this advanced clinical procedure is yielding better understanding of brain electrophysiology. Dr. Matthew Howard, professor and head of neurosurgery at the UI, leads the investigation in which researchers map the brain’s electrical activity as patients perform assigned tasks. The study takes place in a patient room designed and built to substantially reduce acoustical noise and electrical interference.
Building Expertise in the Aging Mind and Brain
The University of Iowa has announced a major initiative to build multidisciplinary expertise in the aging mind and brain. The initiative, led by Dr. Matthew Rizzo, professor of neurology, will bring together programs and experts from the UI colleges of engineering, nursing, public health, liberal arts, and medicine to focus on cognitive and brain function in older adults. Specific areas of emphasis include Alzheimer’s and dementia, brain imaging, genetics, and vision and hearing loss.
Physician Honors
UI Neurosciences has 17 physicians listed on the 2009-2010 "Best Doctors in America" database including:
- Harold Adams Jr.
- Patricia Davis
- Mark Dyken
- Deema Fattal
- Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre
- Jeremy Greenlee
- Mark Granner
- Patrick Hitchon
- Matthew Howard
- Jun Kimura
- Enrique Leira
- Arnold Menezes
- Robert Rodnitzky
- William Talman Jr.
- Jon Tippin
- Ergun Uc
- Michael Wall
- Malcolm Yeh