Department of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
The Department of Pediatrics

Sub-Specialty Programs and Clinics

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


Sub-Specialty Programs / Clinics

 

Neurometabolic and Mitochondrial Clinic
Director: Mary Kay Koenig, M.D.

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, M.D., Pediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist
Nurse Coordinator: Catherine McMillan, RN

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:
  • James Baumgartner, MD: Pediatric Neurosurgeon
  • Joshua Breier, PhD: Neuropsychologist
  • Eduardo Castillo, PhD: MEG specialist

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Medically-Based Autism Clinic
Director: Richard E. Frye, M.D.,Ph.D., Pediatric Behavioral Neurologist

Approximately 1 in 150 children will be diagnosed with Autism, Asperger Disorder or Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Despite the sharp increase in the prevalence of these disorders, the etiology (cause) is not known.

Medical research has identified known metabolic and neurological disorders that are associated with Autism. For example, recent studies have suggested that up 10% of children with Autism might have an underlying mitochondrial disorder. Neurophysiological studies have estimated that anywhere from 10% to 80% of children with these disorders may have underlying subclinical seizures.

We are only beginning to understand the significance of the medical and neurological disorders associated with Autism. This may be due to the fact that the majority of children with Autism do not receive a medical or neurological examination for underlying disorders. The Medically-Based Autism Clinic offers a comprehensive work-up for associated treatable disorders associated with autism, as well as management of the medical problems associated with Autism.

Novel research and treatment protocols are ongoing. Coordination with other medical services, including Pediatric Gastroenterology, ensure comprehensive medical care.

The clinic is held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month in the Child and Adolescent Neurology Clinic in the Universality of Texas Professional Building in the Texas Medical Center.

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Tuberous Sclerosis Center
Director: Hope Northrup, M.D., Medical Genetics
Co-Director: Mary Kay Koenig, M.D., Child and Adolescent Neurology
Nurse Coordinator: Gayla Roberson, R.N.

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) occurs in 1 in 6,000 individuals.  TSC is a genetic disorder characterized by abnormal skin pigmentations (hypopigmented macules, 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, M.D.
  • Neurology ● Mary Kay Koenig, M.D.
  • Nephrology ● Joshua Samuels, M.D.
  • Ophthalmology ● Richard Ruiz, M.D.
  • Dermatology ● Adelaide Herbert, M.D.
  • Gastroenterology ● Ruben Quiros, M.D.
  • Neuropsychology ● Michael Assel, M.D.
  • Neurosurgery ● Stephen Fletcher, D.O. and
  • James Baumgartner, M.D.
  • Plastic Surgery ● John Teichgraeber, M.D.
  • Pulmonology ● Cindy Jon, M.D. and
  • Keely Smith, M.D.
  • Cardiology ● Gurur Denktas, M.D. and Steve Lorch, M.D.
  • Interventional Radiology ● Alan Cohen, M.D

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

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