Clinical Department & Center

Neurological Medicine

Greetings

The Department of Neurological Medicine was established at the School of Medicine Hospital, Hokkaido University in May 1987, as the first department of its kind in Hokkaido.
Our department has since played a central role in medical care for nervous and muscular diseases in Hokkaido.
Many neurologists who have studied at our department are active in diagnosis and treatment of nervous and muscular diseases in various parts of Hokkaido.
Neurological Medicine is a specialty area involving the medical treatment of various diseases of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and skeletal muscles.  
It is different from psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine, which handle mental and psychological diseases.
Please note that we do not treat symptoms related to dementia (wandering, aggressive behavior, depression, etc.).
On this website, Neurological Medicine is simply outlined. We hope that this website will help you when you visit our hospital.
 

Outline

Areas of medical care

Neurological Medicine

  • Central nervous system diseases (cerebral, brain stem, cerebellar and spinal cord diseases)
  • Peripheral nerve diseases
  • Muscular diseases
  • Neuromuscular junction diseases

Consultation hours

First-visit reception: A complete referral/appointment system is employed. If you would like to visit our department, please consult your regular doctor and obtain a referral letter. Then, please follow the guidance for first-visit patients to make an appointment.

Return-visit reception: If you need to revisit our department, please consult your primary doctor about a consultation date and time, and make an appointment. If you change your appointment, please call the Neurological Medicine outpatient clinic between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Do not call at other times because it may interfere with consultations.

Specialty outpatient clinics: by appointment only. Please first visit the general outpatient clinic and consult with the doctor.

Symptoms suggestive of nervous diseases

The brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and skeletal muscles are collectively called the nervous system. Symptoms vary depending on the part of the nervous system affected by the disease and the cause.

If you have the following symptoms, you may need to visit Neurological Medicine.
Headache, unconsciousness, forgetfulness, spasms, dizziness, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, choking, weakening of strength, muscle atrophy, difficulty walking, staggering, shaking, numbness, etc.

Medical care system

The Neurological Medicine outpatient clinic is on the third floor of the outpatient building of Hokkaido University Hospital. Five full-time members as well as part-time members provide consultations.  
All staff members handle a broad range of nervous diseases although their specialties vary somewhat.
In addition to a general Neurological Medicine outpatient clinic, there is a botox clinic for blepharospasm and other facial spasms, a headache clinic and a higher brain function clinic.  

The inpatient ward of Neurological Medicine is ward 6-2 on the sixth floor of Hokkaido University Hospital. Approximately 300 inpatients are treated here annually.
The ward of Neurological Medicine has 21 beds. Under the guidance of the ward director, part-time members specializing in Neurological Medicine form teams to provide medical care.
In collaboration with Neurosurgery, we work on intrathecal baclofen therapy for spasm of the lower limbs and deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease and involuntary movements.

Medical care procedure

Most nervous diseases begin with a sense of discomfort, such as a headache, numbness, weakness, forgetfulness, dizziness or shaking.
Firstly, we ask about patients’ symptoms in detail.
We then closely examine the patient’s nerves. This takes a long time.
To check the location and level of the disease, we carry out various tests, such as blood tests, diagnostic imaging, electroencephalography and nerve conduction velocity to diagnose the disease.

After diagnosis, depending on the type of the disease, we may ask Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, other divisions of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology and other relevant departments to provide medical care.       

Some nerve diseases require extended care.
In such cases, we cooperate with the Community Service and Welfare Network to set a future treatment policy while consulting about rest homes, home care and social welfare systems.  
 

Major tests and equipment

Tests

Standard neurological tests, neuroradiological tests (CT, MRI, brain SPECT, carotid duplex), higher brain function tests, physiological function tests (peripheral nerve conduction velocity, short latency sensory nerve induced reaction), stabilometry, muscle biopsy, nerve biopsy, etc.

Equipment

Neuroradiological test equipment (refer to the Department of Radiation Medicine website)
Nuclear scanning equipment, such as cerebral blood flow SPECT and DaT scan (refer to the Department of Nuclear Medicine website)
Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment (GE Medical systems LOGIQ 500 PRO: 1)
Physiological function test equipment (Nicolay Viking EMG: 1, DANTEC Keypoint: 1, NIHON KOHDEN Neurofax EEG-7414: 1, magnetic stimulation equipment: 1)
3D acceleration analyzer (walking analyzer) (LSI Medience MG-M1110S: 1)
 

Medical care results

Outpatient consultations

Number of first-visit patients in 2015: 427 (referral rate: 95.19%)
Total number of outpatients in 2015: 15,222

Hospitalized care  

Number of inpatients in 2015: 275