Neurosciences - June 2013 Archives

Mayo Clinic neurologist David Dodick, M.D., officially launched the 36 Million Migraine Campaign. It's named for the estimated 36 million Americans afflicted with chronic migraine headache pain. Dr. Dodick says if ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR8I8k3u2xc A new minimally invasive laser-based tool for epilepsy surgery offers a quicker recuperation time for patients. For more than 50 years, the standard effective treatment for medication-resistant epileptic seizures has been open brain surgery.  The goal is to remove the small areas of scar tissue where the errant nerve signals begin that can trigger epileptic episodes. The operation, known as a temporal lobectomy, is effective in up to 80 percent of patients when the seizures are localized. However, the recovery period can be lengthy, involving several days in the hospital and one to three months of recuperation. Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon, W. Richard Marsh, M.D., is co-author of a study presented recently to the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Marsh says the pinhole laser approach, as it's often called, has made a dramatic difference for patients. Click here for news release: Journalists: Animation and edited sound bites with Dr. Marsh are available in the downloads. Additional sound bites with neurologist Jerry Shih, M.D., from Mayo Clinic in Florida, are also available.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quCTMD0hsW8 More than 800,000 Americans suffer from stroke every year, but most people don’t expect to have a stroke at a young age. So, when 33-year-old Jessica Cook became dizzy, nauseous and had trouble standing at her son’s soccer game, nobody recognized the signs as a possible stroke. Friends thought she was overheated or dehydrated. Thankfully, someone called 911 — a decision that saved her life. Once at Mayo Clinic in Florida, doctors identified a torn vertebral artery in her neck and determined it had caused the stroke. Interventional neurosurgeon Dr. Ricardo Hanel and his team rushed Jessica to surgery. Without it, she had a 90 percent chance of dying. Because of a prompt diagnosis and quick medical attention, this mother of three is back  juggling work, home life and her children’s schedules. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr.Hanel, the edited patient pkg., additional b-roll are available in the downloads