Pediatric Neurology or Child Neurology deals with the problems related to the nervous system of children. It can include the brain, spine, nerves, or muscles, leading to problems like seizures, headaches, or developmental delays. Pediatric Neurology comprises issues of children from birth to adulthood. They choose to make the care of children the core of their medical practice, and their advanced training and experience equip them to meet your child’s unique neurological needs.
Are you looking for the best Pediatric Neurologists in Mehdipatnam? We at Ankura Hospitals are here to guide you throughout the journey. The Neurology department at Ankura provides comprehensive care for babies, children, and adolescents with neurological conditions. Pediatric neurology encompasses diseases and disorders such as migraine or cerebral palsy to more complex and rare conditions such as metabolic disease or neurodegenerative disorders.
Conditions treated at Ankura
The pediatric neurology experts at Ankura often diagnose, treat, and manage the following conditions:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Pediatric Epilepsy
- Developmental Delay
- Muscular Dystrophy/Myopathy
- Childhood Headache
- CNS Infections
- Stroke
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Neurodegenerative Disorders
- Peripheral Neuropathy
- Autoimmune Encephalitis
- Abnormal Mental Disorder
- Learning Disabilities
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Intellectual Disability
- Febrile Seizures
- Neuro Critical Care Service
Ankura is committed to offering family-centered care and the latest facilities for the treatments of developmental disorders and chronic conditions. We also provide minimally invasive treatments for injuries and acute conditions. Visit us for more information!
FAQ's
A child neurologist, often known as a pediatric neurologist, is a specialist who specialises in treating children with nervous system disorders. The brain, spine, nerves, or muscles can all be the source of nervous system problems. Seizures, migraines, and developmental delays are all possible outcomes. Pediatric neurologists work with them from infancy through young adulthood. They have chosen to focus their medical practice on children, and their extensive training and expertise enable them to satisfy your child’s specific needs.
There are a number of disorders that a pediatric neurologist might treat, some of the most common disorders include headache management, diagnosis of seizures, Epilepsy, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, movement disorders, traumatic brain injury, infections of the brain, Attention Deficit, and stroke.
Like many newborns who suffer profound brain injuries from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, babies can be diagnosed with “neuro-crying” or “neuro-irritability.” These terms can be defined as crying, agitation, or irritability in children with known neurological issues.
The following tests are commonly ordered to diagnose neurological disorders:
- EEG is a test that looks for problems with the electrical activity in your brain. This test can be used to look for seizures, and to make sure the child’s brain is making the expected types of electrical activity for their age.
- MRI or CT scan are types of imaging tests used to take pictures of the brain and spine. These can look for signs of brain tumor, stroke, infection, multiple sclerosis, certain genetic conditions, and more.
- Lumbar puncture is a test where doctors insert a small needle in the lower back to take a sample of spinal fluid, which surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This can help look for signs of infection or inflammation.
- Blood tests may be ordered for the child. These may include basic labs checking for electrolyte changes or signs of infection, or more complicated testing such as genetic tests for specific disorders.
- Severe, frequent, or ongoing headaches
- Poor balance
- Unexplained loss of consciousness
- Memory loss
- Pain
- Numbness, tingling, or a lack of sensation
- Problems moving around
- Tremors
- Developmental delays
- Walking issues
- Unintentional jerks or tics
- Seizures
- Problems with coordination or other motor function
A pediatric neurologist can help diagnose and treat such symptoms in the child.
A pediatric neurologist will want to test the child’s balance, motor skills, coordination and mental status. They may ask the child to walk or run, stand from a sitting position, report words or phrases and answer questions in order to test the above.
The speed at which motor or sensory nerves carry impulses is measured in nerve conduction tests. The nerve being evaluated is stimulated by a tiny electrical current. Several electrodes put on the skin’s surface or several needles injected along the nerve’s course can deliver the current. The impulse travels along the nerve until it reaches the muscle, which contracts. Doctors can determine the speed of nerve transmission by monitoring the time it takes an impulse to reach the muscle and the distance between the stimulating electrode or needle and the muscle. It is possible to stimulate the nerve only once or multiple times (to determine how well the neuromuscular junction is functioning).
Small needles are placed into a muscle during electromyography (EMG) to capture the electrical activity of the muscle when it is at rest and when it contracts. Normally, no electrical activity is produced by a resting muscle. Electrical activity is produced by a small contraction, which increases as the contraction progresses. If muscle weakness is caused by a problem with a spinal nerve root, peripheral nerve, muscle, or neuromuscular junction, the EMG is abnormal. The anomalies produced by the EMG have a specific pattern. The pediatric neurologist selects the nerves and muscles to be tested and analyses the results of the EMG.
- Electromyography and nerve conduction examinations help clinicians in determining whether an injury to the following causes muscular weakness, sensory loss, or both:
- Spinal nerve root (for example, due to a ruptured disc in the spine of the neck or lower back)
- Nerves of the periphery (for example, due to carpal tunnel syndrome or diabetic neuropathy)
- Due to disorders like myasthenia gravis, botulism, or diphtheria, the connection between nerve and muscle (neuromuscular junction) is disrupted.
- Muscle mass (for example, due to polymyositis)
- Seizures and epilepsy
- Muscle problems which may cause weakness, such as: muscular dystrophy or neuropathy
- Headaches, including migraines and concussions
- Behavioral disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tics and Tourette Syndrome, and sleep problems
- Autism
- Sleep disorders
- Developmental disorders, including cerebral palsy, delayed speech, delayed motor milestones, and coordination issues
- Intellectual disability
- Congenital malformations, which are problems in how the brain forms or develops
- Skull fractures
- Stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Genetic conditions that affect the nervous system
- Autoimmune problems that impact the brain and spinal cord (such as multiple sclerosis)
- Infections or inflammation of the brain (such as meningitis or encephalitis)
- Brain tumors
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