Numerous diseases can affect the peripheral nervous system, including, but not limited to:

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
• Bell’s palsy.
• Brachial neuritis.
• Brachial plexus lesion.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Charcot Marie-Tooth disease.
• Distal muscular dystrophy.
• Facial nerve disorder.
• Facial palsy.
• Fibromuscular dysplasia.
• Ganglioneuroma.
• Hemifacial spasm.
• Motor neuron disease.
• Muscular dystrophy.
• Myasthenia gravis.
• Myoclonus.
• Poliomyelitis.
• Peripheral nerve disorders.
• Peripheral neuropathy/myopathy.
• Shingles.
• Speech and language disorders.

Symptoms can range from weakness, numbness, double vision or pain, to walking and swallowing difficulties. Diagnostic evaluations require skilled clinical assessments, supplemented by neurophysiologic testing, appropriate blood tests and, occasionally, nerve or muscle biopsies or spinal taps.

The expert clinicians at the North Shore-LIJ Health System, many of whom work closely with the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation and the Neuropathy Association, use state-of-the-art diagnostic tools to assess patients with complex peripheral nervous system disorders. Available diagnostic modalities include EMG, single fiber EMG, quantitative sensory testing and autonomic testing.

Since many of these disorders are “autoimmune” — involving the body’s immune system attacking the nervous system — advanced therapeutic immune modifying treatments are available, ranging from oral immune-suppressing medications, to intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis, to rituximab and other novel immune suppressive approaches.

If you would like additional information on our Neuromuscular and Peripheral Nerve Disease Program please call the Neuroscience Hotline at (516) 562-3822 or email us at neuro@nshs.edu.