Services

We specialise in diagnosing and treating children with epilepsy, head injuries and other brain and spinal conditions.

We diagnose, treat and manage neuromuscular disorders including:

• genetic muscle conditions such as muscular dystrophies and metabolic muscle disease
• inflammatory muscle disease such as polymyositis and dermatomyositis
• myasthenia gravis
• Lambert Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS)
• muscle pain and cramps.

Our consultants have special interests in a number of areas including genetic muscle disease, myasthenia gravis, muscle conditions during pregnancy, inflammatory muscle disease, channelopathies (periodic paralysis and non-dystrophic myotonias) and the long-term management of chronic muscle disease.

We carry out long-term brain monitoring of adults and children to assess conditions such as epilepsy. Some of these tests can take as long as three to five days. They include:

• scalp video-EEG telemetry (VT)
• home video telemetry
• intra-cranial telemetry.

They all involve having an electroencephalogram (EEG), a painless test that records brain activity while you are being filmed to record a typical attack. You may have this as an inpatient or during an outpatient appointment that could last for one to five hours. Consultants, nurses and specially trained technicians carry out these tests.

Our team of neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons and neurologists provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of cerebral and spinal vascular pathologies including:

• cerebral aneurysms
• cerebral and spinal arterio-venous malformations (AVMs)
• cavernous angiomas
• intracranial vascular stenosis and insufficiency.

Our wide range of treatments include:

• interventional neuroradiological procedures (including coil embolisation and stenting)
• neurosurgical procedures including clipping of cerebral aneurysms
• microsurgical resection of AVMs
• re-vascularisation procedures such as STA-MCA bypass.

We provide a specialist spinal service

Our team includes neurosurgeons, physiotherapists, pain relief doctors, neuroradiologists and a spinal clinical nurse specialist, enabling us to offer a wide range of treatments and provide the best possible patient care.

We treat degenerative spinal conditions such as back and neck pain, lumbar, cervical and thoracic problems and sciatica.

We are one of 11 National Parkinson Foundation-accredited International Centres of Excellence and one of the few centres in the UK able to provide invasive therapies for advanced Parkinson’s disease such as Duodopa, apomorphine and deep brain stimulation (DBS).

We offer full specialist care for Parkinson’s disease, including access to state-of-the-art clinical trials.

We also provide services for patients with dystonia, restless leg syndrome (RLS) and Huntington’s disease.

Our team works closely with King’s paediatrics (children’s) service and runs a transitional clinic for young adults with DBS entering adulthood. They also work closely with neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology.

King’s is the hub of the European Network for Parkinson’s disease (euroPA) research organisation, and is also an accredited European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) and Parkinson’s Disease Non-Motor group (PDNMG) centre for teaching and research.

Neurosurgeons at King’s have continued to push the boundaries and challenge established ways of doing things. In January 2009, King’s Consultant Neurosurgeon Mr Richard Selway teamed up with neurological experts at Guy’s and St Thomas’ to perform deep brain stimulation surgery on a five year old boy weighing just 12.6kg. The patient was fitted with a rechargeable state-of-the-art implant to stimulate his brain; this had never been done in the UK before and is helping him deal with symptoms associated with dystonia, a movement disorder.

King's neuro-oncology service is one of the largest in the UK and Europe.

Our team of neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, neuro-pathologists, neuro-radiologists, palliative care (pain relief) doctors, clinical nurse specialists and therapists treats patients with all types of brain and spine tumours. They combine clinical expertise with state-of-the-art facilities to ensure our patients receive the very best care and treatment.

We provide specialist brain and spinal imaging and treatment using techniques including:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning, which uses a powerful magnet and radio waves to produce images.
• Computerised Tomography (CT) scanning, which uses x-rays to produce detailed cross-sectional and 3D images.
• Angiography, which uses x-ray images to look at blood vessels.
• Interventional neuroradiology, where x-ray images are used to guide the treatment of conditions such as brain aneurysms (a bulge in the blood vessels) so patients do not need major surgery.
• Vertebroplasty, where special bone cement is injected into the vertebrae to stabilise and restore strength to the spine and relieve pain.
• Various pain relief procedures.