Division of Neurology
The Division is part of the Department of Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg Campus, noting that Neurology is a separate discipline, and not a subspeciality of Internal Medicine. Our clinical services are based at the Neurology Unit of Tygerberg Hospital with occasional outreach to Worcester and Helderberg hospitals. We offer a four year course in Neurology, with special interest in neuromuscular disease, stroke, and movement disorders. Training also involves rotations in EEG, EMG and nerve conduction studies, neuropsychiatry, and neuroradiology in combination with neuroanatomy.
Registrars are also taught to carry out nerve and muscle biopsies and participate in their subsequent interpretation. We have two dedicated video-EEG monitoring beds for investigating epilepsy. There is a monthly botulinum toxin clinic.
Our division runs a comprehensive stroke service offering acute reperfusion services, along with a full complement of allied health practitioners. We currently offer thrombolytic therapy for our acute ischaemic strokes, and in conjunction with the divisions of neurosurgery and radiology, are in the developmental stages of establishing a thrombectomy service.
The hospital has two CT and one MRI scanner, and state of the art nuclear medicine facilities for imaging.
In addition to weekly neuroimaging meetings, and daily review of scans available on the PACS system.
We have regular academic meetings with other services, including with the Departments of Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Tygerberg Hospital and combined meetings the Neurology Department at Groote Schuur Hospital.