Neuromuscular Section
Treating Neuromuscular Diseases
The Neuromuscular Section of the Department of Neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is actively involved in patient care, education and research. Drs. James Caress, Francis Walker, Michael Cartwright, and Allison Brashear oversee the clinical practice, electrodiagnostic laboratory and clinical research. Dr. Carol Milligan leads the basic science research effort in ALS.
The Neuromuscular Section has a busy clinical practice, including the first Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Center in North Carolina certified by the ALS Association, an active Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic, and several other neuromuscular clinics each week (outpatient clinics of North Carolina Baptist Hospital).
Doctors in the Diagnostic Neurology Center have expertise in movement disorders, such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s Diseases. Procedures performed at the Center include:
- Nerve conduction studies (NCS)/Electromyography (EMG)
- Single-fiber EMG
- Autonomic testing
- Ultrasound and EMG-guided chemodenervation
- Laryngeal EMG
- Neuromuscular ultrasound
Research is another significant focus of the Neuromuscular Section. The section has competitive extramural support for training and clinical investigation, participates actively in multi-center clinical trials and has a large unrestricted gift to be used for the study motor neuron disease.
Current studies involve ALS, Charcot-Marie-Tooth, muscular dystrophies, Huntington’s Disease, chemodenervation agents, compression neuropathies and voice disorders. The section is currently developing new technologies and is a national leader in the use of ultrasound in evaluating neuromuscular disease.
For more information on neuromuscular diseases, click a link below.