Holistic Care and Advanced Technology Integration for Neurologic Disease Management: Donald Whiting, MD

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"We're developing an integrated, comprehensive experience that allows patients to live the best life they can with their chronic neurologic condition, without having to worry about whether everything is working together perfectly."

In the management of chronic pain, clinicians recommend a multidisciplinary approach, and in some cases, neurosurgical methods, for patients with neurological diseases since they are a critical part of the therapeutic landscape. Previous studies have shown that neuromodulatory approaches including electrical stimulation of the central nervous system have replaced most ablative pain surgery procedures, with the exception for trigeminal neuralgia. An example of ablative surgery used for pain management is called the dorsal root entry zone operation, which is considered a treatment option because of its ability to address root avulsion and segmental pain in spinal cord injury.¹

Prior research also highlighted the usefulness of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the management of pain after patients experienced peripheral nerve injury and rhizopathy. In these often therapy resistant conditions, SCS can produce substantial and long-lasting pain relief in approximately between 60% to 70% of patients.¹ Since pains are a common symptom of occurrence in patients, especially those with chronic neurological conditions, SCS has shown in studies to be a cost-effective treatment with rare reports of adverse effects or complications. Furthermore, stimulation of the motor cortex has shown promise in the treatment of central, post stroke pain and trigeminal neuropathy.

In a recent conversation with NeurologyLive^®, Donald Whiting, MD, chair in the department of neurosurgery and the Neurosciences Institute at Allegheny Health Network, sat down in an interview to discuss how AHN’s Neurosciences Institute, a comprehensive center, ensures that all aspects of a patient's pain treatment plan are effectively coordinated. He also talked about the role of advanced technology, such as AI and microcomputerization, has in potentially improving neurologic disease management. Moreover, Whiting spoke about how the center's approach aims to address the emotional and psychological needs of patients with chronic neurologic conditions.

REFERENCES
1. Meyerson BA. Neurosurgical approaches to pain treatment. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2001;45(9):1108-1113. doi:10.1034/j.1399-6576.2001.450910.x