Neuromuscular Disorders
The Neuromuscular Division at SUNY Downstate, provides state of the art diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the peripheral nerves, muscles, and the neuromuscular junction.
These include:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy
- Generalized peripheral neuropathy – diabetic neuropathy, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT)
- Myasthenia gravis
- Myopathy (polymyositis, dermatomyositis, muscular dystrophy)
Our Physicians
The physicians in the division are board-certified neurologists with special training in neuromuscular disease and clinical neurophysiology. They possess expertise in all neuromuscular disorders. Members of our division include:
- Paul Maccabee, MD
- Yaacov Anziska, MD
The division's laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Paul Maccabee, offers a full range of diagnostic modalities, including nerve conduction studies, evoked potentials, electromyography (EMG), and muscle and nerve biopsies, and skin biopsy for nerve fiber density , as well as the development of autonomic testing.
Our Clinical Approach
The neuromuscular program is committed to the delivery of expert and multidisciplinary clinical care and collaborates with the departments of Neurosurgery, Anesthesiology, and Rehabilitation Medicine for interventional therapies, including spinal pump implantation and spinal injections, and physical and occupational therapy. Members of the Neuromuscular Division also staff the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) clinic in which we diagnose and treat children and adults with any of the 40 MDA supported neuromuscular diseases.
Our Research
The Division is active in both basic and clinical research; ongoing or recently completed projects include investigations of HIV and traumatic neuropathies, use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases, investigations of the pathogenesis of of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and the role of connexins (gap junction proteins) in regeneration of the peripheral nervous system.
How to contact us
To schedule an appointment for an EMG or to see one of our neuromuscular specialists, please call the Neuromuscular Division office at (718) 270-2430. Physician referrals may also be sent by fax to (718) 270-1946.