Neurology & Neurosurgery

Botulinum Toxin Injection Therapy - also known as BOTOX® therapy - is used to treat a variety of movement disorders including dystonia, Parkinson's disease, post- stroke spasticity and spasticity from multiple sclerosis tremors. The goal of the therapy is to reduce muscle spasm and pain.

Benefits of Botox Treatment

Patients benefit from the expertise of our movement disorders specialists who offer advanced treatments in a nurturing environment. 

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a safe and painless test that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain by using sensors (electrodes) attached to the head and connected by wires to a computer. The computer records the brain's electrical activity on the screen or on paper as wavy lines. Certain conditions, such as seizures, can be detected by observing changes in the normal pattern of the brain's electrical activity.

At Yale New Haven, EEG testing can be done in an outpatient setting or during a hospital admission to diagnose and localize the affected area of the brain, and tailor care for each patient. Our six-bed inpatient monitoring unit is supervised by full-time neurologists who specialize in epilepsy.

Yale New Haven's Electromyography (EMG) Lab provides diagnostic support for patients with neuromuscular disorders. Our specially-trained neurologists use the latest EMG equipment to perform all available specialized EMG techniques, including quantitative EMG, blink reflex, single fiber EMG, and more.

At Yale New Haven, treatment of trigeminal neuralgia uses a multidisciplinary approach that brings together neurosurgeons, specialists in pain management, psychologists, a social worker and pharmacologists to devise a customized approach to treating TN. Each of these specialists collaborates closely to provide the most appropriate care.

For more about a safe, advanced, noninvasive treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, see Gamma Knife Services.

Yale New Haven neuroradiologists use the most advanced techniques in MR, CT, SPECT and PET imaging to diagnose complex disorders of the brain.

Interventional radiology is a critical component of acute stroke and cerebrovascular care at Yale New Haven. Interventional radiology, also known as endovascular surgery, uses minimally invasive techniques combined with high-end imaging that offer a faster and better tolerated recovery.

Yale New Haven provides treatment for the entire spectrum of neurovascular diseases, offering advanced therapies such as aneurysm coiling, embolization for vascular malformations and intracranial angioplasty and stenting for atherosclerotic disease.

Endovascular procedures are performed in a state-of-the-art angiographic suite rather than the operating room. A multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists and neurologists combine their expertise along with using the highest-quality angiographic equipment to achieve optimal results for each patient.

Neurovascular surgery offers advanced treatments for vascular diseases of the brain, including open and endovascular approaches using the latest imaging tools with minimally invasive techniques to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment. Our experienced team of neurological and neurosurgical specialists identify and treat rare diseases and conditions that include:

• Cerebral (brain) aneurysms
• Arteriovenous malformations
• Carotid occlusive disease
• Stroke (hemorrhagic and ischemic)
• Cavernous malformations
• Carotid cavernous fistulas

Diagnosing Innovations

Patients have access to advanced diagnostic imaging and surgical technology including America's first 3 Tesla MRI neuro suite with bi-plane angiography that provides high-quality MR images and angiography before, during and after a procedure without ever moving the patient.

Treatments

Advanced surgically and minimally invasive treatments for aneurysms and other vascular disorders include:

• Microsurgical repair
• Microsurgical resections
• Endovascular coiling
• Carotid endarterectomy
• Embolization
• Stenting
• Intra-arterial thrombolysis
• Mechanical thrombolysis
• Stereotactic radiosurgery

Known as neurosurgery without a knife, stereotactic and functional neurosurgery is changing the way neurosurgery is performed by offering minimally invasive and highly effective treatment options for many difficult neurological disorders and diseases.

In 1998, Yale New Haven opened Connecticut's first dedicated stereotactic radiosurgery center using a dedicated gamma knife - a neurosurgical tool that has revolutionized treatment of many brain tumors and blood vessel malformations. In addition to being able to treat brain lesions, at Yale New Haven Hospital, stereotactic radiosurgery is being used with great success to treat patients with certain types of movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia.

Mapping the Brain

State-of-the-art equipment maps the targeted area within the skull as well as the optimal route to reach it - essential to mapping treatment areas so that healthy tissue is spared. No incisions are required, and the procedures are without the risks associated with conventional neurosurgery. General anesthesia is not required, and no incision means no risk of hemorrhage or infection.

Each patient is thoroughly screened by a multidisciplinary care team that includes neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry, before surgical intervention is recommended.