Journal Volume 6 - March 2012
Article 10
TM and NMO Centers University of Texas Southwestern and Children's Hospital (Dallas) To make an appointment for an adult, please call (214)645-8800 and ask to speak to the Multiple Sclerosis and Transverse Myelitis Clinic for a new patient appointment. For an appointment for a child, please call (214)456-5214 and ask to set up a new patient visit with Dr. Greenberg or Dr. Graves.
Johns Hopkins The Transverse Myelitis Center Phone: (410) 502-7099 (option 2) If you are a patient or the relative of a patient interested in consultations at the JHTMC, you may expedite the scheduling of appointments by sending ALL of the following: MRIs (CDs or films), MRI reports, laboratory reports (blood and cerebrospinal fluid), and hospital admission/office notes to the above address or fax. A pre-visit assessment of needs and review of records allows a match of each patient to specific doctors, and provides the best opportunity to get the absolute most out of a visit to the Center. This process also allows for patients with more urgent needs to be seen in a timely fashion. For some patients, their visit to the JHTMC may be in conjunction with a several week stay with the rehabilitation team at either Johns Hopkins or Kennedy Krieger Institute for intensive therapy. If you are a physician or health provider interested in urgent referrals or consultations, please contact the phone or e-mail above or call the Hopkins Access Line, and request to speak with the neurologist on call (800) 765-5447. We have established a system to facilitate a comprehensive assessment that involves not only the neurological evaluation, but other types of consultations in an effort to provide patients with long-term plans for management of all health problems associated with TM. These consultations may include specialists in rehabilitation, neuroradiology, neuropsychiatry, neuro-ophthalmology, urology, and spinal neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and its affiliates at the Kennedy-Krieger Institute (KKI) International Center for Spinal Cord Injury. Our team at KKI possesses a focused interest in TM. Because of the complexities of transverse myelitis, the JHTMC consists of a team of neurologists within the Neuroimmunology Division, as well as other specialists who have a focused knowledge of this rare and oftentimes difficult disorder. Our neurological team includes: Dr. Carlos Pardo-Villamizar, Director of the JHTMC, focuses on acute idiopathic transverse myelitis, as well as sub-acute and chronic myelopathies associated with neurosarcoidosis and other etiologies. Dr. Michael Levy focuses on Neuromyelitis Optica and Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorders, including recurrent TM and longitudinally-extensive TM. Dr. Levy is the Director of the NMO Clinic at Hopkins, which is a clinic not only dedicated to the diagnosis and management of NMO, but also focuses on research into this TM-related disorder. Dr. Daniel Becker, a neurorehabilitation specialist and faculty at the Kennedy Krieger Institute International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, focuses on evaluation and treatment of long-term effects of TM and neurorehabilitation. Drs. John Ratchford and Daniel Harrison focus on myelitis, myelopathies, and demyelinating disorders that can present as TM. Both are neuroimmunologists with expertise in clinical trials and neuroimaging technology in neuroimmunologic disorders. Drs. Peter Calabresi (Director of the Johns Hopkins MS Center), Ellen Mowry, and Scott Newsome focus on assessment of those patients suspected of having demyelinating syndromes that can present as TM. Drs. Calabresi and Newsome are also interested in the assessment of novel technologies, such as ocular coherence tomography (OCT), a new non-invasive technique used in the assessment of axonal and retinal damage produced in neuroimmunologic disorders. Dr. Mowry is investivating the role of vitamin D in neuroimmunologic disorders. Drs. Justin McArthur and Arun Venkatesan focus on patients with TM as a result of an infectious disorder. They have a longstanding interest in neuroinfectious disorders, including those that are associated with TM, such as herpes infections or other viruses. Dr. Julius Birnbaum has the unique expertise of rheumatology and neuroimmunology, as he was trained in both specialties. He focuses on patients who have TM as a result of an underlying rheumatologic condition, such as Sjogren's disease or systemic lupus erythematous. The Neuropsychiatry clinic for TM and MS was established through the pioneering work of Dr. Adam Kaplin. Dr. Kaplin's work continues to be one of the most important facets of the JHTMC. Dr. Kaplin focuses on the assessment and treatment of issues related to depression and cognitive problems in patients affected by TM. Referrals are facilitated through The Transverse Myelitis Association, the JHH Hopkins Access Line (HAL, which facilitates inpatient admission to JHH from other hospitals), the JHTMC website, JH Access Services (which facilitates scheduling of outpatients to JHH), and the JH International Office. Additionally, there is an on-call neuroimmunologist to facilitate triage and admission, as well as to offer advice for the management of TM inpatients outside of the JHH system, in conjunction with the JHH HAL Attending. This allows for prompt attention to meet acute management needs. Maureen Mealy, RN, BSN Carlos A. Pardo, MD |