Mayo Clinic opens newly expanded neurophysiology laboratory at Florida campus

Mayo ClinicSep 10 2010

Mayo Clinic unveiled a newly expanded, state-of-the-art neurophysiology laboratory on its Florida campus to provide additional services and care for more patients, many of whom are referred by community physicians for specialized diagnostic testing. The new facility includes an increased number of exam rooms and enhanced equipment for electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG) testing, and unique autonomic testing.

"The new lab will increase our efficiency and excellence in performing and interpreting different types of neurophysiologic tests," says Devon Rubin, M.D., neurologist at Mayo Clinic and head of the new neurophysiology lab. "With the new equipment and expanded availability, our physicians can more effectively perform and interpret both routine tests as well as more complicated, very specialized tests for complex neuromuscular disorders that have, at times, been challenging to diagnose in the past. Additionally, we now have the ability to more efficiently assess patients with seizures or epilepsy as well as disorders that may affect the autonomic nervous system."

Dr. Rubin is one of several neurologists who will staff the lab, performing the diagnostic tests and reading the results. The Mayo clinicians are national leaders in the field of neurophysiology and perform thousands of tests every year in all realms of clinical neurophysiology.

With the facility expansion, there are now 14 specialized exam rooms, so additional patients can be seen easily — a plus for the community, says Dr. Rubin, since the lab is open to both patients seen at Mayo Clinic and patients referred from a community practitioner solely for testing.

The following are the types of tests performed at Mayo Clinic's new neurophysiology lab.

• EMG tests — Including nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography. These studies help physicians understand the origin of muscle weakness and numbness — symptoms of a number of disorders and conditions such as peripheral neuropathy, brachial plexopathy, muscular dystrophy or other muscle diseases, Lou Gehrig's disease, and myasthenia gravis. Specialized EMG testing techniques, including repetitive stimulation, single-fiber EMG and other distinctive conduction studies, assist physicians with complex disorders such as brachial plexopathies or cranial neuropathies.
• EEG studies — Used to help physicians diagnose disorders of brain function, such as seizures or the origin of spells. Other disorders in which this type of neurophysiologic testing can be helpful include memory or other cognitive disorders.
• Autonomic testing — Mayo Clinic is one of the only centers in the region that offers autonomic testing, which is used to diagnose autonomic nervous system irregularities that can affect key functions of the body such as heart rate and blood pressure. The new facility features several new state-of-the-art autonomic laboratory tests.
• Movement disorder testing — Specialized movement disorder studies utilizing a distinctive surface EMG testing can help to diagnose patients with tremors or other movement disorders.