Established in 1990, the Neurology Department at the Royal Hospital is an independent entity within the Division of Medicine with facilities to offer tertiary level care for patients with neurological disorders. The Department includes neurology and neuropsychiatry clinical services and a neurophysiology laboratory service.
STAFFING
Dr. Jaber Al Khaburi, MD,MRCP, Sr. Consultant and Head of Unit
Dr. Khalil Ibrahim Abdul Jabbar Al Shaikhli, MD, MRCP, Sr. Consultant
Dr. Santosh Kumar, MD, DM, Sr. Consultant
Dr. Amal Al Hashmi, MD, FRCP(C), Sr. Consultant
Dr. Mubarak Habib Shambeh Al Musafir Al Bulushi, MD, PhD, Sr. Specialist
Dr. Ahmed M.A.A. Zayed, MBBCh,MS(NeuroPsychiatry), Sr. Specialist Neuropsychiatrist
Mr. Jayakar Manchi Moolya, EEG Technician
One Rotating Senior House Officer from Internal Medicine.
CLINICAL SERVICES
The Neurology Department has 15 inpatient beds in the medical wards inclusive of two beds in high dependency units. Consultation service provides 24 hour Neurologist on call cover for Royal Hospital as well as for patient referrals from all Regional hospitals. The Neurology and Neuropsychiatry clinics are held on Mondays and Tuesdays for referrals from other outpatient clinics in Royal Hospital and from the Regional Hospitals. A weekly Botulinum Toxin (BOTOX) injection clinic for dystonia is also conducted.
The nature of cases is similar to that at any large tertiary care hospital involves patients with a wide variety of neurological disorders ranging from strokes, epilepsy, neuromuscular diseases and demyelinating and degenerative illnesses. Standard protocols in the form of clinical pathway algorithms have been set out for management of status epilepticus, acute ischemic stroke, non-ambulant patient with Guillain Barre Syndrome and multiple sclerosis in the Sultanate. Practice guidelines for lumbar puncture have also been laid out.
There is regular interaction with Neurosurgery Department at Khoula Hospital, Neuropathologists at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and Neuroradiologists at Royal, University and Khoula hospitals.
NEUROPHYSIOLOGY LAB
There are three laboratories, one each for Electroencephalography, Electromyography / multi modal Evoked Potentials study and Video EEG telemetry unit for long term EEG monitoring of patients with intractable epilepsies. A portable EEG/multimodal EP machine is used for bedside recording of patients in the intensive care and high dependency units. Neurophysiology services are available on all working days.
CLINICAL, ACADEMIC & RESEARCH
- Saturdays: Academic meeting with rotating house officer from Internal medicine journal club, case or topic discussion.
- Sundays: Neurorehabilitation meeting with Physiotherapy team.
- Wednesdays: Electrophysiology meeting.
- Regular audit meetings of problem patients are held on every second and fourth Sunday of the month.
- Once monthly Neuroradiology meeting is held with the Department of Neurology, Sultan Qaboos University and Department of Neurosurgery, Khoula Hospital.
- The Neurology Department is an active participant of academic activities of the Division of Internal Medicine including Radiology meetings, Journal clubs, Clinical presentations and Mortality meetings.
- Bedside teaching sessions of 5th and 7th year medical students (MD) of the Sultan Qaboos University and Residents undergoing in-service training program in MRCP and OMSB.
- Neurology updates with national / international participation.
- The Department hosted the 2nd AGCC Neurology Conference in November 2001 and presented papers on: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, Unusual epileptic syndromes in Oman, and Stroke in Oman.
Currently several research projects are in progress:
- An epidemiological study of stroke patients in Oman.
- Plasma homocysteine levels in stroke patients.
- Profile of epilepsy in Oman.
- Effect of thymectomy in myasthenia gravis patients.
- Profile of headache patients attending Neurology clinic at Royal Hospital.
