The multidisciplinary team at the UCI Health ALS & Neuromuscular Center diagnoses and treats all neuromuscular diseases, including:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) Diabetic and other forms of peripheral and autonomic neuropathies  Myopathies, including polymyositis, dermatomyositis and inclusion body myositis

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome Muscular dystrophies Myasthenia gravis

We also help patients who have disorders affecting the peripheral nerves, including:

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)

Guillain-Barré syndrome Lumbosacral and brachial plexopathies Small- and large-fiber neuropathy

Learn more about neuromuscular disorders ›

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is critical to determining how to treat a neuromuscular disorder. Our center specializes in evaluating neuromuscular conditions even when there is no definitive test. We are the only center on the West Coast with a specialized lab that can evaluate small-fiber neuropathy.

Testing for neuromuscular diseases includes:

Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies Quantitative sensory testing Comprehensive autonomic testing

Single-fiber EMG Quantitative muscle testing Muscle and nerve biopsy interpretation Other directed tests as needed

Treatments

We offer a broad range of treatments and services as part of a comprehensive approach to your care. Treatments typically include both medication and physical therapy in a caring and supportive environment. Surgery may also be recommended. Treatments may also include:

• Immunosuppressive therapy, such as steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasma exchange
• Innovative therapies as part of clinical trials approved by the Food and Drug Administration, including promising new drugs

The UCI Health ALS & Neuromuscular Center is one of only six Muscular Dystrophy Association-designated centers in California, a recognition of our advances in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders affecting the nerves, muscles and neuromuscular junction.

Regional leader

We are the most active center in Southern California in terms of clinical and experimental trials in these rare neuromuscular diseases. And we are the only center west of Arizona equipped with an autonomic function lab for evaluating small-fiber neuropathy.

Several of our physicians carry triple board-certifications in neurology, neuromuscular disease and electromyography.

Quality care

When you come to the ALS & Neuromuscular Center, we work with you to deliver high-quality, personalized plan to improve your quality of life. We are dedicated to the continued search for a cure to these diseases.

UCI Health also offers a neurogenetics program, which aims to determine genetic causes of nerve and brain disorders, including ALS and other neuromuscular conditions. The neurogenetics team provides a personalized approach to each patient to pinpoint genetic causes of inherited diseases.

The UCI Health ALS & Neuromuscular Center is conducting a broad range of clinical studies to help understand these diseases, to perform early diagnosis and to improve treatment for our patients.

For more information, please view our current clinical trials or email CCREnrollment@uci.edu

At the UCI Health ALS & Neuromuscular Center, our highly skilled staff includes physician researchers, many of whom have multiple board certifications in neurology, neuromuscular disease and electrodiagnostic medicine.

We are located at UCI Medical Center’s Manchester Pavilion, 200 S. Manchester Ave., Suite 110, Orange, CA 92868.

Our core physician team members are: