Department of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
The Department of Pediatrics

Neurology

The Division of Child & Adolescent Neurology specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders affecting neonates, children and adolescents.


Clinics/Sub-Specialty Programs

Movement Disorders Clinic

Children with pediatric and adolescent movement disorders are frequently evaluated in the clinic of the Division Director (Ian J. Butler, MD) and include patients with:

  • Tourette syndrome
  • Dystonia
  • Ataxia
  • Tremors
  • Parkinsonism
  • Cerebral Palsy

Many of these children and adolescents have structural, neurometabolic, and genetic brain disorders that require specific diagnostic and management decisions. The role of metabolomics (particularly cerebrospinal fluid analysis) and genomics in phenotypic diagnosis is emphasized.

There are ample opportunities, in conjunction with our adult movement disorder colleagues to evaluate specific treatments such as botulinum toxin injections, deep brain stimulation, and intrathecal baclofen administration

Neurometabolic and Mitochondrial Clinic

Director: Mary Kay Koenig, MD

Neurometabolic and mitochondrial disorders are multisystem disorders that present to a variety of physicians and subspecialists. Mitochondrial disorders prevent the body from producing chemical energy in the form of ATP.

Metabolic disorders arise from a variety of genetic defects involving chemical pathways within cells. Such disorders are chemically complicated and respond to specific treatment plans. At the UT Houston Neurometabolic and Mitochondrial Clinic, we provide comprehensive services to aid in diagnosis and management of neurometabolic and mitochondrial disorders.

We consult with the patient and family, and with their primary care physician and pediatrician, to develop a long-term treatment and management plan that is individually suited to each patient. We also perform research in the field of neurometabolic and mitochondrial disorders, investigating novel treatment approaches to these devastating diseases:

  • Mitochondrial Disorders
  • Organic Acidemias
  • Amino Acidopathies
  • Urea Cycle Disorders
  • Disorders of Fatty Acid Oxidation
  • Disorders of Purine Metabolism
  • Peroxisomal Disorders
  • Storage Diseases

Clinic is held the 3rd Friday of each month at the UT Professional Building in the Texas Medical Center.

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Pediatric Epilepsy Program

Director: Gretchen Von Allmen, MD, Pediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist
Office Coordinator:  Alex Vara

Approximately 1 in every 285 children has epilepsy, and one-third of these children have seizures that fail to respond well to medications.

Here at the UT Houston Pediatric Epilepsy Program, it is our goal to provide comprehensive care to each child with epilepsy. We work with patients and their parents to devise an epilepsy management plan that can control their seizures and allow them to reach their full potential as individuals.

Together with the staff and specialists at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, we offer the most advanced techniques for epilepsy diagnosis and treatment, including video-EEG monitoring, 3 Tesla MRI and functional MRI, magnetoencephalogram (MEG), PET scan, SPECT scan, WADA testing, and neuropsychological testing.

Treatment options are not limited to drug therapy, and also include focal cortical resection, hemispherectomy, corpus callosotomy, Vagal Nerve Stimulator, and ketogenic diet.

Other members of the Pediatric Epilepsy Team:

  • Michael Funke, MD, PhD
  • Takijah Heard, MD
  • Joshua Breier, PhD, Neuropsychologist

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Tuberous Sclerosis Center

Director: Hope Northrup, MD, Medical Genetics
Co-Director: Mary Kay Koenig, MD, Child and Adolescent Neurology
Nurse Coordinator: Gayla Roberson, RN, BSN

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) occurs in 1 in 6,000 individuals. TSC is a generic disorder characterized by abnormal skin pigmentations (hypopigmented mascules, shagreen patches) and tumor formation in multiple organ systems (brain, heart, lungs, kidney, eyes). At the UT Tuberous Sclerosis Center, we consult with the patient and family, the primary care physician or pediatrician, and with specialists familiar with the particular complications of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, to provide comprehensive care for our patients.

  • Medical Genetics: Hope Northrup, MD
  • Neurology: Mary Kay Koenig, MD
  • Behavioral Psychiatry: Sonja Randle, M.D.
  • Cardiology, Pediatric: Gurur Biliciler-Denktas, MD
  • Cardiology, Adult: Ali E. Denktas, M.D.
  • Dermatology: Adelaide Hebert, M.D.
  • Dermatology, Medicaid: Carolyn Bangert, M.D. & Robert Jordon, M.D.
  • Endocrinology: Nunilo Rubio, M.D.
  • Epileptology: Gretchen Von Allmen, M.D.
  • Gastroenterology: J. Marc Rhoades, M.D.
  • Interventional Radiology: Alan Cohen, M.D.
  • Nephrology: Joshua Samuels, MD
  • Neuropsychology: Michael Assel, MD
  • Neurosurgery: Stephen Fletcher, D.O.& Jim Baumgartner, M.D.
  • Ophthalmology: Richard Ruiz, M.D.
  • Plastic Surgery, Skin: John Teichgraeber, M.D.
  • Pulmonology, Pediatric: Cindy Jon, MD
  • Pulmonary, Adult: Khalid F. Almoosa, M.D.

Clinic is held the 1st Monday of each month at the UT Professional Building in the Texas Medical Center.

For more information, call 713.500.7149

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