Neurology
Expert perspectives on neurological conditions, stroke management, movement disorders, and neuromuscular disease.
Recent Discussions
When have you used suzetrigine for acute migraine treatment?
I have never used suzetrigine in migraine disorder. There are no studies or even case reports of its use in migraine disorder. It is not FDA-approved for migraine disorder indication. It is ~$500 for a month's supply. It would not be covered by insurance for a migraine disorder indication. I would n...
When do you offer TNK for ischemic stroke patients with a large vessel occlusion presenting outside the 4.5-hour window?
I agree with Dr. @Dr. First Last. Generally, I do not treat with TNK if EVT is available, but I do treat if no EVT is available, assuming favorable imaging as per the TRACE-III trial. However, as with all decisions, there are nuances. Since the benefit and risk ratio of TNK was only slightly favorab...
When do you restart anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation who just had an ischemic stroke?
The recent ELAN trial (Fischer et al., PMID 37222476) and now the published CATALYST meta-analysis (Dehbi et al., PMID 40570866) all support the concept that early anticoagulation (within 4 days of stroke) with a DOAC is safe and effective. There appears to be no interaction with clinical factors su...
How do structural and functional findings on echocardiogram influence your decision to anticogulate ESUS cases?
This is a great but very difficult question. It is important to remember that currently, there is NO randomized controlled trial data that provides evidence for anticoagulating patients with ESUS, and the ad hoc analysis of the Arcadia trial you mention simply does not change this. Arcadia specifica...
Do you consider bleeding risk in elderly, frail patients with atrial fibrillation to be similar for all NOACs?
I believe that apixaban carries a lower risk of bleeding, with particular reference to GI bleed, when compared to rivaroxaban and dabigatran. This is true in the population of AF patients at large and most probably in frail patients as well.
Should aTTR mutation with bilateral carpal tunnel alone prompt treatment with a gene silencing drug?
Carpal tunnel syndrome does not qualify as a peripheral neuropathy due to TTR amyloid. The amyloid deposition is in the soft and/or connective tissue and not in the nerve. As such, there is no clear indication to treat as much as one might be tempted. Careful follow-up and treatment as soon as neuro...
What is your approach to outpatient antihypertensive therapy after ICH for secondary prevention?
My approach to secondary prevention of ICH depends on the cause.With hypertensive ICH for secondary prevention, the blood pressure goal is less than 130/80 (This is from using the results of the SPS III trial, given the pathological disease mechanisms for both ischemic and hypertensive hemorrhages a...
How do you decide between using nuclear medicine scanning versus computed tomographic angiography (CTA) for ancillary brain death testing?
I would NEVER use CTA as an ancillary test when determining brain death.The American Academy of Neurology guidelines specifically classify CT angiography as an unacceptable ancillary test for brain death determination.The acceptable ancillary tests for adults include digital subtraction angiography ...
In an ALS patient with FVC 60–70% predicted, normal daytime ABG, and normal nocturnal oximetry, but persistent orthopnea and unrefreshing sleep, do you initiate nocturnal NIV — and if so, how do you navigate the CMS coverage gap?
In our assisted ventilation clinic, we lean toward symptom-based initiation for patients with neuromuscular disease, including ALS. There are several strategies for navigating the coverage gap. We have found that performing both FVC and MIP measurements with supine positioning will often reveal that...
How do you manage seemingly treatment-resistant chronic migraine?
First, let's define refractory migraine. The most recent and strict diagnosis that I use was a proposal by the European Headache Federation (EHF):Refractory Migraine Established diagnosis of 1.1 Migraine without aura and/or 1.2 Migraine with aura or 1.3 Chronic migraine according to ICHD-III criter...