Complete Neurological Care

When dealing with a life-changing diagnosis and its associated symptoms, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the important decisions involving your care. We’re here to help you and your loved ones, from choosing the treatments that are right for you to navigating everyday life. We offer:

• Expertise: Our Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and Comprehensive Stroke Center have earned national recognition in treating these conditions. Our epilepsy and stroke specialists deliver diagnostic expertise in combining tests for precise and timely results.
• Advanced treatments: We offer a full range of the latest treatment options, including deep brain stimulation to treat movement disorders and Gamma Knife to treat brain tumors. We also offer the latest neurovascular and endovascular treatments for brain disorders.
• Specialized stroke care: We offer Augusta’s River Region’s only interventional stroke care program, which requires a skilled team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, intensive care unit staff and nurses. Our experts perform both surgical and nonsurgical procedures to treat problems with the blood vessels in the brain.
• Advanced neurocritical care: We have the area's largest neurocritical care unit that is equipped to stabilize and treat any individual requiring neurosurgery. The unit includes a dedicated team of neuro-critical care certified specialists and the most advanced diagnostic technology, such as high-resolution MRI and cerebral and spinal angiography.
• Dedicated centers: We offer Augusta’s River Region’s only centers dedicated to the management of brain and spine tumors, epilepsy, memory disorders, multiple sclerosis and movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. These separate centers surround you with all the care you need in one location.
• Leaders in innovation: Our neurologists developed REACH Health, a nationally recognized telemedicine service. This technology allows our team to diagnose and treat stroke from anywhere at any time, expanding access to specialized stroke care.
• Teamwork: Our neurologists and neurosurgeons work together to ensure high-quality care through board meetings, conferences and joint clinic visits. They plan treatment for complicated cases involving epilepsy, movement disorders, brain tumors, spine conditions and problems with the blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord.
• Collaboration: Our team works with other Augusta University Health specialists from multiple fields of medicine, such as neuro-oncology, neuropsychology, neuroradiology, pain management and radiation oncology. Once your treatment is complete, we’ll collaborate with your primary care doctor on ongoing management of your neurological health.
• Clinical trials: We’re working to identify new diagnostic tests and treatments for a wide range of neurological disorders to improve outcomes. These conditions include brain tumors, epilepsy, memory disorders, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders and spine disorders.

We treat every neurological disorder, including common conditions, such as back pain, migraine, neuropathy and stroke. We offer treatments for:

• Brain tumors, abnormal cells in the brain that can be noncancerous or cancerous.
• Epilepsy, or seizure disorder, which causes unpredictable, recurrent seizures that occur as a result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
• Ischemic stroke, in which the brain cannot get the oxygen and nutrients it needs because the blood supply to a specific part of the brain is reduced or cut off completely.
• Memory disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and Huntington’s disease, which affect the ability to remember, make decisions, reason and communicate.
• Movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, Tourette syndrome and tremor, which cause abnormal movements.
• Multiple sclerosis, a disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the substance that surrounds and protects the nerves, which disrupts brain function and its ability to communicate to the rest of the body.
• Neuromuscular disease, including ALS and other neuropathies, which affect how the muscles in the body work due to disturbances in the pathway between the nervous system and the muscles.
• Spine and spinal cord disorders, such as degenerative spine disorders and tumors, which affect the spinal cord and, therefore, the communication between the brain and the rest of the body.

We perform a full range of neurological exams, diagnostic tests and procedures using the latest technology. Whether you come to us with a previous diagnosis or new complaints, we will perform the tests necessary to ensure that you receive the care you need.

Diagnostic imaging tests

We offer an array of diagnostic testing:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a magnetic field to produce detailed images of your brain, face, neck, nervous system and spine.
• Ultrasonography or neurosonography the brain and nervous system to look for problems affecting the brain and spinal cord.
• Computed tomography (CT) uses radiation, and sometimes injected contrast dye, to produce multiple images of the head and spine. A computer then combines the images to give your doctor a cross-sectional view of the brain or spine to determine possible causes of your symptoms.
• Arteriogram uses contrast dye and X-ray to produce images of blood vessels in the brain, head and neck to look for blockages.
• Myelogram uses contrast dye that is injected into the spinal canal, the space formed by the vertebrae that surrounds the spinal cord, along with X-ray or CT. This test looks for issues with the spinal cord or canal.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) uses a radioactive drug, also called tracer, to evaluate how the brain is functioning.
• Single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) evaluates blood flow and activity in the brain to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases, strokes, seizures and memory loss.  

Diagnostic clinical procedures 

We offer diagnostic clinical procedures:

• Electrodiagnostic tests use electrodes to look at the electrical activity that moves from the brain to the motor nerves to the muscles. This test looks for problems with the motor neurons and muscles. Two types include electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV).
• Electroencephalography (EEG) uses electrodes to evaluate electrical charges that are produced in the brain. Our specialists review this data to look for problems with the electrical activity in the brain.
• Evoked potentials tests use electrodes to evaluate how the brain responds to stimulation through sight, sound and touch. It is effective in helping to diagnose and treat disorders, such as multiple sclerosis. Three types include the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) test, somatosensory evoked response (SSER) test and visual evoked response (VER) test.
• Spinal tap involves inserting a needle into the lower back to collect cerebrospinal fluid to look for infections, cancers and nervous system disorders.
• Brain biopsy involves removing a small piece of abnormal brain tissue and studying it under a microscope to distinguish normal brain tissue from abnormal brain tissue.

At Augusta University Neurosciences Center of Excellence, we offer a wide range of neurological treatments. These treatments include both noninvasive and surgical procedures. Our neurologists and neurosurgeons will help you determine the right treatments for you.

We pride ourselves in our ability to offer advanced treatments, such as deep brain stimulation and complex stent placement. We also perform advanced techniques to remove blood clots in the brain.

 Noninvasive treatments

We offer medications to manage symptoms, such as pain. We also offer

• Injections to treat pain, inflammation, movement disorders and many other neurological disorders
• Cerebral angiography to evaluate and treat vascular and tumor lesions
• MRI-guided laser ablation, which uses light energy to target and kill brain tumors and treat epilepsy while protecting healthy tissue
• Gamma Knife noninvasive stereotactic radiosurgery to treat tumors, pain and seizures. The system uses radiation beams to target small areas of the brain

Neurosurgery 

If you and your doctor decide that surgery is right for you, rest assured that you’re in good hands. Our neurosurgeons deliver expertise in performing complex surgery of the brain, spine and nerves. We offer a wide range of cerebrovascular and general neurosurgery procedures.

Minimally invasive surgery

Our neurosurgeons are experts in performing minimally invasive surgeries on the brain, spine and nerves. :

• Aneurysm coiling and embolization to treat brain lesions, such as aneurysms, vascular malformations and complex brain tumors
• Cerebrovascular and general neurosurgery to restore neurological function
• Device implantation procedures, including deep brain stimulators to treat movement disorders and epilepsy, as well as peripheral nerve stimulators to treat chronic pain
• Peripheral nerve surgery to evaluate and diagnose conditions, such as peripheral nerve disorder

Support services

Dealing with a neurological disorder can feel overwhelming. We offer services to help you and your loved ones understand the condition and navigate it together. We offer:

• Nutrition counseling with certified dietitians who partner with your doctor to improve symptoms for certain neurological disorders
• Occupational therapy for movement disorders and multiple sclerosis to help you regain the skills you need to perform daily tasks
• Physical therapy for movement disorders and multiple sclerosis to help you regain strength
• Behavioral health care with neuropsychologists and psychologists who diagnose and treat neurological disorders and determine how they affect your health
• Social work to point you toward resources to help you during your hospital stay and postoperative care
• Speech pathology for movement disorders and multiple sclerosis to help you regain verbal skills
• Support groups for ALS, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and trigeminal neuralgia to give you an opportunity to connect with others