St. Mary's Medical Center
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Diagnostics & Prevention

St. Mary’s Medical Center provides many diagnostic services for patients with neurological disorders and injury.

Neurovascular Lab

The Neurovascular Lab uses transcranial doppler ultrasound and carotid duplex scans to assess the risk of stroke. Transcranial doppler ultrasound is a safe, non-invasive technology for measuring blood flow velocities (speed) in the brain. Carotid duplex scan is a non-invasive ultrasound to measure the flow of blood through the arteries of the neck to the brain.

Radiology

The radiology department at St. Mary’s offers the following services and advanced technology for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological illnesses and stroke:

  • 64-slice, 128-slice and 256 slice CT scanners
  • CT with angiography and perfusion
  • MRI 1.5 and MRI 1.5 wide bore
  • Bi-plane angiography suite
  • Angiography for diagnosis of aneurysms, arterio-venous malformations and vascular occlusive disease
  • Artificial intelligence software is used to synchronize stroke care, reducing delays that stand between patients and life-saving treatments. This is an innovative way of using technology to transform stroke workflow and patient care. The stroke team can consult with each other in real time through a HIPAA-compliant mobile interface, driving fast treatment decisions that save brain and save lives.
Inpatient Neuroscience and Stroke Unit

St. Mary’s inpatient neuroscience and stroke unit has an experienced, caring team of doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers to help patients recover from neurological diseases and disorders. These staff members specialize in their field and have extensive knowledge and experience in caring for neurological patients. The neuroscience team conducts frequent “care conferences” to set goals for each patient and evaluate their progress.

Care is provided through an interdisciplinary team approach on designated stroke units. Speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy play an important role in the care of neurological patients. Physical therapists work with patients on skills, such as balance, that require the use of large muscles in the body. Occupational therapists focus on fine motor control skills, such as dressing, grooming and eating. Speech therapists can help neurological patients who have difficulty speaking and processing language. They also can help patients who have difficulty chewing and swallowing. Social workers, dietitians and case managers also play an important role in the neuroscience team.

Outpatient Rehabilitation

Therapists in the rehabilitation department at St. Mary’s offer individualized, comprehensive, hands-on outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy services to help patients achieve the highest level of function in all tasks.

St. Mary’s Rehabilitation Services offers the latest in physical therapy equipment, including the Neurocom Balance Manager, which is utilized to objectively measure balance and falls risk and allows the therapist to create a custom treatment plan for each patient. In addition to therapists who specialize in treating balance, gait and strength impairments, we also offer pelvic health therapy to treat urinary incontinence and speech therapy services to treat swallowing and speech impairments.

Above all, our mission in outpatient rehabilitation is to make patients feel like they are at home. We encourage the family to get involved in the patient’s care by assisting the patient in a home exercise program and being present for therapy sessions.

St. Mary's offers outpatient physical therapy in four convenient locations across our region. Post-stroke rehabilitation often involves multiple caregivers, including physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech/language pathologists, all of which are available in one location, 2841 Fifth Avenue, Huntington.

Prevention

Patients who have blockages of the carotid artery may be eligible for carotid endarterectomy surgery or carotid stent. These procedures keep blood flowing through the carotid artery, the main artery in the neck that supplies blood to the brain.

Carotid artery stenting is a procedure used to help reduce the risk of stroke and has been shown to improve outcomes for neurovascular patients. It is used when the artery is narrowed because of a build-up of plaque that reduces blood flow to the brain. The procedure involves insertion of a thin mesh tube called a stent, which expands in the carotid artery to increase blood flow in areas blocked by plaque.