WELCOME TO CHILD AND ADOLESCENT NEUROLOGY
Division Head’s Message
As Head of the Division of Child & Adolescent Neurology, I welcome you to our website.
Our ‘team’ consists of three fulltime child neurologists and two nurse practitioners, all board-certified or board-eligible, as well as a full complement of support staff. Two of us have been awarded Best Doctors in America designations; two have also won national awards from the Child Neurology Society. We have expertise in the common and specialty areas of child neurology. Working with your primary health care provider, we provide a consultative service.
All of us want to provide you with the best possible medical care for your child. To do so, we offer outpatient clinics and consultations at the Childrens Hospital. We also train future neurologists and pediatricians in the care of children with neurological problems.
To aid you in choosing a doctor, brief biosketches are provided. I thought you would also like a description of our various programs.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact our support staff.
FACULTY
Physicians |
Dr. Michael Pranzatelli |
Nurse Practitioners |
What is a Child Neurologist?
What is a Nurse Practitioner?
CLINIC STAFF
(From left to right) Jennifer Luers-Ambulatory Care Aide II, Aisha White-Licensed Pracical Nurse II, Melissa Smock-Office Systems Specialist I, Anna Miller-Charge Nurse, Larry Landis-Medical Assistant, Nancy Withrow-Licensed Practical Nurse II, Elizabeth Boles-Ambulatory Care Aide II.
Clinical Director’s Overview of Clinics
We provide compassionate, leading-edge care to infants, children, and adolescents with neurological diseases at two Springfield locations, St. John’s Children’s Hospital and 340 West Miller. Clinics in general child neurology operate daily at both locations and are supplemented by the specialty clinics that meet regularly each week. Off site clinics include the Muscular Dystrophy Association clinic on the West Side of Springfield and clinics in behavioral neurology and epilepsy at the Hope Institute for Children and Families. The clinics are continually adding new options for diagnosis and intervention for most child neurology problems, with expansion in the division and increased experience of the support staff. Additional work in the area of telemedicine, which has begun on a limited basis, will expand to allow more access to specialty services for children with neurological disorders throughout Southern Illinois.
SPECIALTY CLINICS
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MOVEMENT DISORDERS
Dyskinesias signal the onset of a disorder affecting the brain, be it inherited or acquired. Common causes are infection, trauma, drugs, immunologic disorders, degenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, collagen vascular disease, cancer, and genetic disorders.
Some disorders are age-specific, fewer are gender-specific. Often, in the course of evaluation of dyskinesias, we uncover imitators, such as spasm, clonus, gastroesophageal reflux, or masturbation. Sometimes, movements are not abnormal, but rather a phase of normal development.
Many infants have "spells" that mimic seizures. Unlike epilepsy, movement disorders usually do not alter consciousness, occur during sleep, or result in a postictal state with incontinence. The movements also are not primarily tonic or clonic. However, there are many exceptions.
Which Movement Disorders Do We See?
Akathisia
(persistent hiccoughs) (hyperekplexia) The most common movement disorders of school-aged children are tics and hyperactivity. By adolescence, essential tremor becomes more prevalent. Because some other dyskinesias are unusual or rare, they may not be diagnosed until adulthood.
Services
Movement Disorders Clinic is a full service consultative clinic.
Diagnostic Evaluation
New patients fill out a questionnaire, then undergo a careful history-taking and neurological examination. We routinely videotape them for photo documentation of the movements at rest and during certain activities.
Testing
Besides routinely available clinical labs, we may send blood samples to various outside specialty labs for state-of-the art molecular genetic, metabolic, and immunologic tests. It may be necessary to obtain:
Treatment
When treatment is necessary, our clinic offers the latest in the pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy for movement disorders.
We use old and new formulary drugs and drugs available only through a compassionate use program or with an investigator agreement with the FDA.
Non-drug treatments include:
Additional Resources
PEDIATRIC MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION CLINIC
Since its founding in 1950, the Muscular Dystrophy Association has become one of the nation’s largest and best-known voluntary health agencies. MDA provides comprehensive medical services to tens of thousands of people with neuromuscular diseases at some 235 hospital-affiliated clinics across the country. The Association’s worldwide research program, which funds some 400 individual scientific investigations annually, represents the largest single effort to advance knowledge of neuromuscular diseases and to find cures and treatments for them.
The MDA Clinic provides many other direct services, including assistance with purchase and repair of wheelchairs and leg braces, assistance with the purchase of communication devices, summer camps for youngsters and support groups. Click Here.
PEDIATRIC NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CLINIC
The neurodevelopmental clinic focuses on children with more complex problems of a neurologic nature that impact areas of learning, school progress, language and socialization. Typically, children with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, learning difficulties, and attention deficit are seen. A more detailed neurologic examination is done, along with screening tests for behavior and attention. Any prior psychologic and developmental testing is carefully reviewed, along with a child’s current IEP. As necessary, further specific testing in language or processing may be arranged, or referrals are made for more detailed neuropsychologic testing. Recommendations may be made for behavioral and educational strategies, psychological interventions or medication use. As indicated, psychotropic medications may be prescribed and monitored.
PEDIATRIC EPILEPSY CLINIC
Seizures and epilepsy represent one of the most common neurologic diagnoses in childhood. Although many epilepsies can be easily controlled, children require a very specific expertise that balances seizure control with a child’s specific developmental and educational needs. Often, medications used for adults with epilepsy have a limited record of use in children, so that knowledge of recent literature and a broad experience is necessary in the diagnosis and management of this condition.
The epilepsy program provides for the most up-to-date diagnostic procedures, including video-EEG monitoring, to diagnose and classify seizures, leading to appropriate medication choices. The physicians and nurse practitioner in the clinic have a great deal of experience treating many children with multiple seizure types over many years, leading to the use of the most effective medications available. Specific emphasis is placed on minimizing side-effects and letting children have a full and productive life, both in school and in the community. The work of the experienced team assures that all questions are answered and that children and adolescents live with, but not for, their seizure disorder. An abundance of written materials and support referrals are available to support the children, their families, and their schools.
HEADACHE CLINIC
The SIU pediatric headache clinic is dedicated to the personalized treatment of migraine and all other headache types in children and adolescents. It is the only specialized clinic for pediatric headache in Southern Illinois. If your child is a headache sufferer, our outpatient and inpatient service can help him/her through extensive experience and latest technology in addressing health problems due to headache. We employ a variety of treatment modalities including non-pharmacological, pharmacological treatments, and chemo-denervation using BOTOX® injections. If your child needs help, ask your primary care physician for a referral to us or call our center at 217-545-6950 to schedule an appointment.
GENERAL CHILD NEUROLOGY CLINIC
In addition to our specialty clinics for epilepsy, headache, movement disorders, muscular dystrophy, and neurobehavioral disorders, the SIU Child and Adolescent Neurology Division provides diagnosis and treatment for a variety of other neurological conditions and brain diseases, including:
The general neurology clinics are staffed with two physician providers and one nurse practitioner. We provide compassionate, leading-edge care to infants, children, and adolescents with neurological diseases at two Springfield locations: St. John’s Children’s Hospital and 340 West Miller. Clinics in general child neurology operate daily at both locations.
RESEARCH
GRANTS
ARRIVING AT THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT NEUROLOGY CLINIC
Please arrive for your appointment 15 minutes early so that reception can check you in. Be sure to bring your insurance information.
OUR LOCATIONS
The Child and Adolescent Neurology clinics are located in the 340 West Miller Building, 2nd Floor, Springfield, IL. and Carol Jo Vecchie Women & Children's Center, 415 North 9th Street, 4th Floor. Appointments may be arranged by calling (217) 545-6950, option 1 on weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The Opsoclonus-Myoclonus patients can call 545-7635 for appointments. Click here for a maps.
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Carolyn Higgason - SIU School of Medicine - Department of Neurology
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