Neurology Patient Stories

Patient stories about Neurology

April 16, 2019

Physician Treats Rare Cerebrovascular Disease, Restores Patient’s Vision

Katrina Dupins

Valerie Hutchens sees Martin Radvany, M.D. for a follow-up appointment.

The first thing Valerie Hutchens noticed when she woke up in the recovery room after surgery was how much clearer the voices around her sounded. “I can hear you!” she said to her surgeon, Martin Radvany, M.D., UAMS interventional neuroradiologist. Among the myriad of symptoms Hutchens experienced with idiopathic intracranial hypertension was a constant whooshing…


April 4, 2019

New Treatment for Parkinson’s Patients Improves Drug’s Effectiveness

Katrina Dupins

Metish Lotia, M.D. and Shannon Doerhoff, A.P.R.N. go over settings with Mark Avra on his Duopa pump.

He no longer feels comfortable climbing ladders, but Mark Avra says there is plenty of work to be done on the ground. Avra is a builder and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2008. “I had two houses going at once and had to have extra help to finish them,” Avra said. “I realized then I…


March 18, 2019

Neurostimulator Significantly Reduces Seizures for Missouri Man

Katrina Dupins

Matthew Pinegar visits Viktoras Palys, M.D. in a follow-up appointment after his RNS Surgery.

Matthew Pinegar was 3 months old when he had his first seizure. He was put on medication to keep them at bay, then taken off the medicine in junior high. “It wasn’t until I was 21 when I had my first grand mal,” Pinegar said. “After that happened and I looked back, I’m sure I…


December 3, 2018

Violinist Plays Again Thanks to Spinal Cord Stimulation

Katrina Dupins

Alventena Cobb

Alventena Cobb of Conway is a professional musician. She’s played the violin for more than 30 years and has instructed many students. Cobb uses her instrument as a method of expression. So when a shoulder injury prevented her from picking up her bow and strings, she felt incomplete.


November 8, 2018

UAMS Cancer Researchers Receive NIH Grant to Develop New Cancer Therapies

Linda Haymes

Karen Abbott, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Analiz Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine's Department of Neurosurgery, have received a $604,208 NIH grant to study an abnormal protein found in ovarian cancer and some brain tumors.

LITTLE ROCK — Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have received a $604,208 grant to study how an abnormal protein found in ovarian cancer and some brain tumors helps tumors grow. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded the three-year grant to Karen Abbott, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAMS College…


August 13, 2018

Essential Tremor Patient Says Surgery was Life-Changing

Katrina Dupins

Kimberly Zimmer visits neurologist Rohit Dhall, M.D., to check the results of her deep brain stimulation surgery.

Aug. 13, 2018 | Kimberly Zimmer stretches her arms out in front of her and smiles. The 50-year-old is showing off how steady her hands are. “Never in my life have I been able to hold my hands that still,” she said. Zimmer had been diagnosed with essential tremor as a child. Fellow students bullied…


July 5, 2017

Patient’s Dramatic Improvement Highlights New MS Treatment Options

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Patient in clinic setting

July 5, 2017 | Two years ago, Josh Martin wouldn’t have believed he could walk down the aisle at his own wedding. Or easily navigate his classroom as an elementary school music teacher. Or play disc golf with his friends. Martin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2006, when he was a junior in high…


November 15, 2016

First Time in US: Patient Treated in Trial Using Virus on Brain Tumor

ChaseYavondaC

Beth Rogers, pictured seated at UAMS

Nov. 15, 2016 | Beth Rogers might have been the first person in the United States to be treated as part of a clinical trial that included the injection of a virus into her brain tumor in combination with immunotherapy treatments – but the Hazen resident said she had no fear. “I’ve got so much…


August 14, 2015

Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Cabot Man

Kelly Gardner

In the neurology clinic at the Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute of the UAMS, Dr. W. Steven Metzer performed the initial programming of Tommy Rickman’s deep brain stimulator. “There are four little electrodes down in your brain,” explained Dr. Metzer, a neurologist. “I’m trying to find the best one,” he said. He plugged in…


August 13, 2015

Five Bentonville Stroke Patients Receive Clot Buster

Kelly Gardner

Rhonda Smith’s stroke was about as severe as they come. Her chance for survival was slim without immediate access to a stroke neurologist who could correctly diagnose her type of stroke so she could receive a powerful clot-dissolving drug. Fortunately, the 42-year-old wife and mother was working just a block away from Northwest Medical Center…



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