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Medicine is very convenient both for the patients and for our clinical decision-making. We have a very special setup here." In addition to MRI, the diagnostic team may perform ultra- sound to visualize the nerves and look for tumors inside of them. The neurology professionals may also conduct diagnostic electromyography (EMG) to study how signals travel down the nerves into the muscles. "An EMG can give us a lot of really important information about what problem a patient has and what treatment they might need," Dr. Pendleton says. "Our neurology team does a great job with these tests, providing patients with the answers necessary to make treatment decisions." TAILORED TREATMENT PLANS Each patient's unique condition will determine whether surgery is necessary to address peripheral nerve dysfunction. In some instances, nerve pain can be treated with medications and physical therapy. "Our neurologists, pain management specialists and phys- iatrists do a great job with nonoperative treatments to address nerve pain, and medications can help," Dr. Pendleton says. "But if people are having numbness, prickly tingling or weakness, it is time to talk about potentially having surgery to either fix the nerve if it is damaged, or decompress the nerve if it is stuck. We may also need to take out a tumor if that is what is causing the problem. Those are all procedures that I have trained to do and perform in my practice." In the event that a more complex operation is required, Dr. Pendleton has the ability to collaborate with a large network of specialists at Stony Brook Medicine, including plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons and/or general surgeons to reach nerves that are located in hard-to-access areas of the body. "We have a great team here helping me get safely to where the nerves are," Dr. Pendleton says. "What I bring to the table is my training as a neurosurgeon in peripheral nerve surgery. So I am one of the last pieces added to the team to really help expand what we at Stony Brook Medicine are able to offer patients with these kinds of nerve problems." If while working up a patient with a peripheral nerve lesion, Dr. Pendleton discovers a malignant nerve tumor, she will col- laborate further with a large team that may include oncologists, general surgeons and vascular surgeons. "We have all of the components in place here at Stony Brook Medicine," Dr. Pendleton says. "We are in a unique position to offer a very well-trained and highly specialized neurosurgery specialty to the Long Island community extending all the way up into the Connecticut shoreline." n For more information, visit stonybrookmedicine.edu/ courtneypendleton. " Injuries or issues with peripheral nerves can be under-recognized. At Stony Brook Medicine, we have the infrastructure that is required to make accurate diagnoses and provide patients with the treatment they need." — COURTNEY PENDLETON, MD, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF NEUROSURGERY, RENAISSANCE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 0 21 1 7