| Program Available for Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
|
| Treatment for children with holoprosencephaly (HPE) and
related disorders is now available at a newly launched Neurodevelopmental Disorders and
Treatment Program. The program was announced last month by William C. Mobley, chair of
neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford.
A multidisciplinary team led by Joseph D. Pinter, program director, treats patients in
Clinic E at Lucile Packard Children's Health Services at Stanford. Pediatric nurse
practitioner Vicki Sweet is clinic coordinator. "We hope to draw patients from all over the western United States, offering formal multidisciplinary evaluations, informal consultations, as well as information and research opportunities for medical providers and parents," said Sweet. "We are committed to working closely with referring physicians and to providing patient education and support opportunities to help families feel less alone with this diagnosis, which affects between 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 10,000 live births," Sweet added. HPE is a congenital brain malformation resulting from failure of the embryonic forebrain to cleve, which causes a wide spectrum of clinical problems. In addition to treatment for HPE, the clinic offers support for patients with other congenital brain malformations, such as septo-optic dysplasia and absent corpus callosum. The program is part of the Carter Centers for Brain Research in Holoprosencephaly and Related Malformations, a national, multi-center clinical research project.Pinter, a clinical instructor in pediatric neurology, received his MD at UCLA. His most recent postgraduate training was in pediatric and adult neurology at the Harvard-Longwood Neurology Training Program and Boston Children's Hospital, followed by a research fellowship under Mobley at UCSF before coming to Stanford. Also on the clinic staff is Lauren L. Plawner, the Carter Fellow in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. A graduate of Yale University School of Medicine, she most recently completed a pediatrics residency at UCSF. For more information or to refer patients, contact Sweet at (650) 498-2692, or via e-mail. |
COLUMNS Chief of Staff NEWS Pharmacy earns highest ratings Merger results in $38 million in first-year savings Service workers vote for union representation Program available for neurodevelopmental disorders Staying ahead of the Y2K curve offers added clinical benefits New combination therapies recommended by Stanford-led stroke panel PAST ISSUES |