|
Dementia
is not the same as ageing. Dementia is manifested in various ways
including loss of memory, inability of taking care of self,
impairment of calculation, getting lost on the way, difficulty in
findings ways to different rooms even in his own home, loss of
recognizing familiar faces, etc.
There are
several conditions of dementia, which can be cured. Proper approach
and investigations are mandatory to diagnose and treat them. Our
department has facility of evaluating the patients of dementia and
investigate including sophisticated machine such as Cog test machine
(computerized programme to assess higher mental function) by which a
person's higher mental functions can be assessed accurately.
Here is a
message of Dr. P.K. Sethi, on world Alzheimer Day, published in www.HeadLinesIndia.com. |
The Department
of Neurology is one of the largest in North India and provides
comprehensive neurological care to the patients reporting to Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital. It is providing round the clock emergency care to patients
suffering from all types of neurological problems.
Sir Ganga Ram
Neurology Alumni
We are proud
that following doctors have rotated in our DNB neurology
Programme. As is
noted, they are all very well placed in different institutes both in India
and abroad. We are very proud of them, as they are our ambassador.
|
Name |
Present
Position |
Place |
|
Dr. Prem
Chaudhary |
|
USA |
|
Dr.
Anjali Sharma |
|
SMS
College, Jaipur |
|
Dr.
Kiran Bala |
Assoc.
Prof. IHBAS |
New
Delhi |
|
Dr.
Neeta |
|
Buffalo
University, USA |
|
Dr.
Sanjay Saxena |
Consultant,
VIMHANS |
New
Delhi |
|
Dr.
Debashish Chowdhary |
|
Bankur
Medical College, Kolkata |
|
Dr.
Muzzafar |
|
UK |
|
Dr.
Jyoti Garg |
|
RML
hospital, ND. |
|
Dr. Raj
Shekhar Reddy |
|
Max
hospital, ND. |
|
Dr.
Rajeev Ranjan |
|
SGRH,
ND. |
1. Stroke
Program:
There is a dedicated
team dealing with stroke on an emergency basis round the clock in an intensive
care setting, not only to save life but also to minimize eventual neurological
deficit if any. There are facilities to provide thrombolytic therapy in acute
stroke and a well-established carotid endarterectomy program for prevention of
stroke along with recent introduction of carotid stenting procedure. We have
the largest series of carotid
endarterectomy in India. We are also having an active post-stroke
rehabilitation program.
Faculty members have been delivering
lectures on various forms informing and educating the population as well as
practitioners about stroke causation and management especially emphasizing
that "stroke is brain attack alien to heart attack" and should be
managed as a priority. With back up of excellent Department of Neuro-radiology,
viz., spiral CT scan, CT angiography and MRI, stroke patients are immediately
attended to and treated with existing departmental protocols, thus salvaging
life and limbs.
2. Epilepsy Program:
Epilepsy is a
disorder of the brain in which the patient is prone to get epileptic "seizures"
or "fits". Anyone having two or more unprovoked fits or
seizures can be said to have Epilepsy. As per the WHO, epilepsy is the
commonest serious disorder of the brain. An epileptic fit or seizure is
caused by brief, excessive and abnormal discharge of nerve cells in the brain.
It is something like a small "electrical storm" or "short
circuiting" in the brain.
It is estimated that
the overall "incidence" of epilepsy (number of new cases observed
over a fixed period of time) lies between 20 - 50 cases per year per 100,000
persons in a general population. The usual "prevalence" rate (number
of persons with epilepsy during a specified time) is 500-1000 cases per
100,000 persons in the population. Going by these statistics, there will be
about 2,600 - 6,500 new cases of epilepsy every year in Delhi and New Delhi
alone (estimated population of 1.3 crores) and 200,000 to 500,000 new cases in
the whole of India (estimated population about 100 crores). Similarly at the
present time there may be approximately 65,000-130,000 persons with epilepsy
in Delhi/New Delhi and about 50-100 lakhs in whole of India respectively.
Fortunately, the "fits" of about 60-70% of newly diagnosed cases of
epilepsy can be controlled by simple medicines but majority of epilepsy is not
treated due to the prevailing ignorance and misconceptions about the nature of
this common disorder.
Department has
special interest in patients with epilepsy especially those suffering from
intractable epilepsy. We run one of the finest programs for presurgical
evaluation of patients with intractable epilepsy for epilepsy surgery. The
epilepsy unit specializes in intensive management of cases with seizures
including investigating modalities like video EEG and ambulatory EEG.
We were the first in
the country to focus attention to the patients of epilepsy with disappearing
CT scan lesions. This paper was published in Journal of Neurology,
Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Since then the interest of other neurologists has
been drawn to this entity which is peculiar to India and constitutes major
percentage of symptomatic epilepsy.
3. Clinical Electro-physiology
Lab.:
EEG Lab.: Department has a
"state of art EEG Lab" with 21 channel CCTV EEG with video
monitoring. All EEGs are done with special montages including EOG, submental,
EMG and EKG. There are special facilities for bedside EEG recording. Bedside
EEG facilities have been extended to critical patients in ICU, CCU, pediatric
ICU and even to the floor in case patient can not be moved to the lab.
Continuous EEG recording is done intraoperatively in certain cases undergoing
endarterectomy surgery for monitoring purposes.
Our EEG Lab. is regarded as one of
the best lab. in whole of North India, and we get lot of referral patients
from outside. EEG-video recording facilities are available at a very
reasonable rate here. This was the first lab in Delhi, to provide Video EEG
facilities ahead of all hospitals in Delhi.
EMG LAB.: EMG lab. is very well
equipped with two EMG machines. The facilities offered are nerve condition,
EMG studies, facial nerve conduction, blink reflexes; and repetitive
stimulation test for myasthenia gravis. There are excellent facilities for
visual evoked responses, brain stem evoked responses, and somato-sensory
evoked responses. There is special software for infants and children. This is
state of the art EMG lab with a dedicated Neurologist who is full time in the
lab & does no general neurology.
Training of EEG/EMG Technicians:
This is perhaps only department in country that conducts two years formal
training program to train technicians for EEG/EMG. Two students are taken
every year.
4. Movement Disorder and
Spasticity Clinic:
The department is also running a
movement disorder and spasticity clinic, with facilities for Botulinum toxin
therapy in spasticity and movement disorders. There are facilities for
intrathecal baclofen therapy for spasticity and, stereotactic brain surgery
for Parkinsonism and movement disorders.
5. Neuro-muscular Clinic:
A neuromuscular
clinic has been started for diseases of muscle and nerve. We have developed an
active and comprehensive treatment program for patients of myasthenia gravis
over last five years. We have, in collaboration with cardio-thoracic unit,
carried out more than one hundred thymectomy surgeries.
6. Multiple
Sclerosis Program:
The department in
conjunction with the neuro-imaging department has been able to attract a large
series of patients with demyelinating disorders, which are being managed
comprehensively.
7. Other
Activities:
As nutritional deficiencies are very
common we have collected a series of patients suffering from neuropathy,
myelopathy, dementia and other neuropsychiatric manifestations which were
found to be due to vitamin B12 deficiency. The deficits are completely
reversible in most of these patients if diagnosed in time and treated
properly. Information of this has been disseminated as it addresses a
potentially curable neurologival disorders.
As the population is aging one is
dealing, with increasing number of patients suffering from dementia. With
advent of nuclear scanning especially the SPECT brain scan patients are
investigated on designated protocols so as to diagnose dementias properly,
especially the treatable varieties. More and more patients with Alzheimer's
dementia are being diagnosed.
The department is actively involved
in assessing the patients who unfortunately due to one reason or the other
have suffered irreversible brain-stem insult. One of the members of the
department of Neurology is detailed to evaluate such patients in order to
certify them "brain-stem dead". A strict laid down protocol is
followed in every case, this provides a boost to the cadaver donor programme
& actively boasts heart, liver & kidney transplant programmer of the
hospital.
8. Conferences Organized:
Organized a conference on "NEURO-AIDS-
The Hidden Epidemic". This was highly successful conference and first
neurology conference of its kind. Every day 3500 new HIV cases are being
diagnosed in India. The high prevalence and striking diversity of neurological
problems complicating AIDS was emphasized. All neurology conference receive
accreditation hours from Delhi Medical Council.
Organized a clinico-pathological
conference, which was discussed by Dr. S. Prabhakar, Prof. and Head of
Neurology, PGI, Chandigarh. Discussion was on a rare manifestation of
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Patient presented with painful peripheral neuropathy,
infiltration of neoplastic material in the muscles and the bones.
9. Teaching of Post-graduates:
Department is continuing its DNB Neurology (3 yr.) program and currently has 4
residents trainees in the department. In addition to, day to day on the job
training, a very rigorous academic program is being followed in form of
journal club review, bedside case presentation and seminars. The department
holds biweekly conferences on Monday and Thursday in combination with
Neurosurgery faculty.
10. Evaluation of Drug Protocols:
Department is participating in
International Program to evaluate "Chronic Impact versus Enteric-Coated
Tablet" - (CIVET) study with sodium Valporate. | 
