Pediatric Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Disorders Clinic
Neuroimmunologic and neuroinflammatory disorders occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves or muscles. These conditions can develop in response to minor infections or the presence of a tumor, but sometimes they have no known cause. These neurological conditions may happen once, occur repeatedly or worsen over time.
If your child has a neuroimmunologic or neuroinflammatory disorder, you want expert care you can trust. The Pediatric Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Disorders Clinic at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles offers comprehensive care that meets the physical and emotional needs of your child and your family.
Our team members combine in-depth diagnostic expertise with leading-edge therapies to provide a holistic approach to care. We work with your child and your family to achieve the best possible results.
About the Pediatric Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Disorders Clinic
- Conditions, Treatments and Services
- Our Expert Team
Conditions We Treat
- Acute Myelitis, including Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO), Optic Neuritis and Transverse Myelitis
- Autoimmune Encephalitis/Encephalopathy, including Anti-NMDA-Receptor Encephalitis and Limbic Encephalitis
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
- Primary Angiitis of the Central Nervous System (CNS Vasculitis)
- Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Miller Fisher Syndrome, Bickerstaff’s Brainstem Encephalitis and other GQ1b disorders
- Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy and TPO Antibody Disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS)
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Myositis
- Neurologic Complications of Chemotherapy
- Neurologic Disease Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis)
- Neurologic Disease Associated with Rheumatologic Conditions (Behcet’s Disease, Lupus, Anti-Phospholipid Antibody Syndrome)
- Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS)
- Radiographically Isolated Syndrome (RIS)
- Sarcoidosis of the Nervous System
Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Disorders Treatments
Our care team includes neurologists with clinical and research expertise in a wide range of neuroimmunologic and neuroinflammatory disorders. We work closely with experts in epilepsy, movement disorders, neuropsychology and neuromuscular disorders to optimize your child’s care.
Symptoms of neuroinflammatory disorders may include:
- Cognitive problems
- Behavioral changes
- Unsteady gait
- Speech changes
- Numbness, weakness, or tremors
- Vision loss or abnormal eye movements
- Seizures
Our innovative diagnostic and therapeutic treatments include:
Diagnostic Services
- Neuroimaging (MRI of brain, spine or optic nerves)
- Body imaging (MRI or CT)
- Lumbar puncture, with or without anesthesia, with special testing for neuroinflammation
- Specialized blood testing (autoimmune encephalitis panel, lymphocyte flow cytometry)
- Neuropsychological testing
- EEG, outpatient VEEG and prolonged inpatient VEEG
- EMG and Nerve conduction studies
- Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Visual Evoked Potentials
Therapeutic Services
Outpatient Infusion Center
- Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG): Antibodies to fight infections and treat autoimmune disorders, delivered through a needle inserted into a vein
- Rituximab: Medication doctors use to treat autoimmune diseases
- Tysabri (natalizumab): Drug used to treat multiple sclerosis
- IV Steroids (methylprednisolone): Medications taken by IV or by mouth to treat inflammation (swelling) in the body
- Other biological medications
- Inpatient and outpatient plasmapheresis: A procedure that treats immune disorders by removing plasma from the blood
Outpatient Therapy Services
Our experts help diagnose and treat neuroimmunology and demyelinating disorders and connect children with other appropriate programs within the division when a diagnosis is determined.
Patient and Family Support
- Resources
Parent and family resources
ADEM:
Autoimmune Encephalitis
Myasthenia Gravis
Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO):
Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome
Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis
Transverse Myelitis