In this issue:
- Current and Upcoming Research
- New Specialist and Extended Hours in Richmond
- New Specialist and Extended Hours in Springfield
- Surgical Stabilization – A NeuroTransmitter Case Report
- Publication Update
- A List of Upcoming Events
Research Update:
Innovation is at the core of all we do. Not only does it improve the care we can provide but it also helps veterinary medicine evolve and grow so that future patients can receive improve care and treatment.
Dr. Bush recently led EEG clinical rounds with UPENN via Skype to discuss the effect of dexmedetomidine on the EEG of dogs, cats, people and horses. The ultimate goal of this collaboration is to standardize the way EEG is recorded in veterinary medicine, collect clinical data and establish the circumstances in which an EEG is valuable in the clinical veterinary setting. Pilot data from about 30 patients is currently being analyzed and will be presented in October at a meeting of neurologists and neurosurgeons called the SEVEN (see below for more information). Additionally, BVNS and UPENN are planning to collaborate on research to determine the incidence and significance of non-convulsive status epilepticus. Again, pilot data indicates this is a much more common and important disease entity in veterinary medicine then is currently thought.
Additionally, Dr. Bush and Christine Weaver, LVT, VTS (Neurology), recently conducted internal training for our doctors, residents and interns. The goal of this training was to define how EEG is recorded and reported and to educate our team on the indications where EEG would be beneficial. The culmination of this lab and training will be a first-of-its kind certification exam for EEG that will improve the care we can provide and extend the benefits of EEG to thousands of future patients.
In addition, BVNS has achieved NIH funding to participate in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial examining the efficacy of fosphenytoin vs. placebo for acute repetitive seizure and status epilepticus. After fosphenytoin, even more promising drugs will be used as a clinical trial with the hope that a better treatment for people will be established by using the dog model. BVNS is working with the University of Minnesota and the University of Pennsylvania and will be one of only two private-practices involved in this study. The leader in this study, Dr. Ilo Leppik helped to take Keppra from the rat model to its current status as the premier seizure medication in people. It is expected that this research will revolutionize the treatment of status epilepticus in people and dogs. Needless to say, we are thrilled to be a part of this important research. Not unimportantly, participating canine patients will receive up to $1500 off their hospital bill if they receive the study medication or placebo.
We will provide more information on this upcoming study soon.
Richmond Expands Staff & Hours:
Recently we announced that Richard Indrieri, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology) will be joining our team in Richmond. The addition of Dr. Indrieri will provide our team with more availability and will also allow us to expand our hours to include Saturdays (starting November 1st).
Dr. Indrieri, who has over twenty years of experience as a neurologist and neurosurgeon, obtained his BS degree from the University of Vermont and a Master’s degree from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI. After obtaining his DVM degree from Kansas State University, he completed an Internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City and then completed a three-year Residency in Neurology & Neurosurgery at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Indrieri has been a clinical professor, a practice owner and a staff neurologist at a group specialty referral center in New York. He brings a wealth of experience, expertise and management experience to our team. We are very excited to have him join our team on October 8th and we look forward to expanding our hours on November 1st.
Springfield Expands Staff and Adds Fridays:
Our Springfield office has also expanded its team with the addition of Dr. Jessica Barker, MS, who is residency trained in neurology and neurosurgery. The addition of Dr. Barker provides an onsite neurosurgeon in Springfield and will also allow us to expand the availability of our service and of onsite MRI to Monday – Friday (starting October 1st). This exciting development will allow the benefits of neurosurgery reach thousands of future patients in the coming months and years.
Dr. Barker received her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and her Master of Science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Following the successful completion of her Master’s program, she attended the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin, graduating with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2008.
After completing her DVM, she completed a one-year Rotating Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and went on to successfully complete the Neurology & Neurosurgery Residency program at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
We couldn’t be more excited to add her to our team and to extend the hours and services we offer in Springfield. We will extend hours in Springfield on October 1st.
September Neurotransmitter – Boudreaux:
Our neurosurgeons are experts at performing complex stabilization surgeries to treat conditions such as Atlantoaxial Subluxation and COMS. Our latest Neurotransmitter features the case of Boudreaux, a patient who presented with recurrent back pain and ultimately underwent an extensive surgery to stabilize his AA joint. You can learn more about this case and the impressive surgical results achieved by Drs. Jarboe and Brewer by clicking here.
Publication Announcement:
We are pleased to report that Dr. Martin Young has recently been accepted for publication (again!). The article “Incidence of Antibodies to Sarcocystis Neurona in Dogs With and Without Neurologic Disease” will be published in an upcoming edition of the International Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine. This paper is coauthored by Siobhan Ellison, DVM, PhD, Kristina Maier, Martin Young, DVM, MS. We will publish a link to this article when it becomes available.
Upcoming Events:
FETCH a CURE Fall CE – October 7th. This CE event at the Richmond Science Museum is hosted by FETCH a Cure. BVNS will be there as a sponsor and our newest addition, Richard Indrieri, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology) will be speaking during lunch.
SEVEN – October 27th. This fall, SEVEN, a veterinary neurology conference hosted by the South Eastern Veterinary Neurology Group brings together veterinary neurologists, neurologist in training and neuroscientists for their third annual conference. This year, the event will be held right in our backyard at Virginia Tech and several of our doctors are being considered for presentation. We will post more information as soon as it becomes available.
DC Academy – October 31st/November 1st. Bush Veterinary Neurology Service and Bush Advanced Veterinary Imaging will be sponsoring the DC Academy events on November 30th and December 1st. Members of our team will be there to provide more information on our services and to support the CE being presented to doctors and technicians.