The neurology centre at Paideia International Hospital is concerned with the study, treatment and care of disorders of the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (consisting of all other nerve elements, including structures in the eyes, ears and skin).
The main conditions treated by the neurology centre
The specialist medical team provides in-patient and out-patient care for neurological patients with:
- Behavioural and memory disorders in old age
- Parkinson's disease, tremor and movement disorders
- Epilepsy
- Depressive disorders
- Stroke and cerebrovascular disease prevention
- Sleep disorders
- Restless leg syndrome
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Bell's palsy
- Vertigo
- Cephalgia
- Neuropathic pain
- Trigeminal neuralgia
Neurology: diagnostic tests
- Electroencephalography
- Electromyography and electroneurography
- CT scan
- PET scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalograms (EEGs) record the brain’s bio-electrical activity. The EEG, which has no contraindications, can easily be repeated as often as necessary. Performed by experts using modern digital equipment, it provides the medical specialist with valuable information that cannot be obtained by other methods.
Performing an EEG is crucial in the following diagnoses:
- Epilepsy, for which it detects specific anomalies (sharp waves and spikes), whether circumscribed in a confined area of the brain or diffuse. Focal anomalies may, especially in adults with no previous history of epilepsy, be the expression of focal brain lesions.
- Evaluation of child psychomotor retardation and neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Various forms of dementia: in Alzheimer's disease the digital processing of EEG signals and the related spectral analysis of EEG frequencies show, as early as the subclinical phase of the disease, the slowing down of the brain’s background activity, especially in the parietal lobes of the two cerebral hemispheres.
- Diagnoses of sleep disorders.
Electromyography and Electroneurography
Electroneurography (ENG) assesses the functionality of peripheral nerves by measuring sensitive nerve conduction velocity (VCS) and motor nerve conduction velocity (VCM). The ENG examination provides fundamental information in all forms of polyneuropathy and in compressive neuropathies (carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar nerve compression in the elbow, and peroneal nerve injuries in the knee). The examination consists of non-invasive stimulation of peripheral nerve fibres and recording of nerve responses using surface electrodes.
The electromyographic (EMG) examination records muscle bio-electrical activity, helping to assess the health of muscle fibres and their motor innervation. EMG is important in diagnosing cervical and lumbosacral radiculopathies secondary to intervertebral disc herniation and canal stenosis, providing irreplaceable elements to guide the choice of treatment. The examination involves the use of a small electrode needle that is inserted into the muscles under examination.
