Suomeksi

Paediatric Neurology

At Tays, studies and treatment of cerebral and neurological diseases in paediatric patients under 16 years old are performed in the Paediatric Neurology Unit. Typical diseases include different cerebral seizure symptoms, specific developmental difficulties, locomotor injuries, muscular diseases, sleep disorders and severe headache symptoms.

Diseases and symptoms treated at Tays include the following, for example:

developmental delay or disability
early childhood autism
symptoms interfering with concentration or alertness
physical disability
muscular disease
neurocutaneous disease, i.e. neurological disease causing skin symptoms
epilepsy
movement disorder
severe sleeping disorder
severe headache.

The treatment grading of patients at Tays is based on symptoms and diseases. We treat, for instance, all epilepsy patients, but only a small number of headache patients require hospital studies or treatment.

Tests and treatment at Tays

Sudden neurological symptoms, such as different seizures, are treated at the Paediatric Emergency Department and, when necessary, in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit where a consulting paediatric neurologist is available.

Diagnosing a paediatric neurological disease or symptoms often requires different kinds of laboratory, imaging or functional tests. The most common studies include blood and cerebrospinal fluid laboratory tests, brain imaging studies and electrical brain activity film, i.e., EEG studies.

Patients are studied and treated mainly at the emergency department. In more complex developmental problems and more severe neurological diseases, ward studies and rehabilitation assessments are necessary. Patients spend two days in the ward on average during a ward period.

We collaborate with basic health care, i.e. family counselling centres and school health care, in the tests and treatment of all our patients. Together we organise paediatric neurological rehabilitation provided in basic health care, for instance, and evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation. In follow-up care, we collaborate with, for example, the adult neurology unit and services for individuals with developmental disabilities when necessary.

Special expertise at Tays

Tays has nationally significant special expertise in the study and treatment of, for example, narcolepsy and other sleep disorders, differential diagnostics of cerebral seizure symptoms and special diagnostics of muscular diseases, as well as in inter-professional assessment and rehabilitation of autistic behaviour.