UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Multi-Specialty - Methodist Plaza

1221 Pleasant Street Suite 300
Des Moines, IA 50309

Current Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Hours of Operation

Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

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Neurology Services | UnityPoint Health - Des Moines

Our UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Neurology providers offer specialized services unique to the Central Iowa area. We have multiple neurologists on staff with expertise in a wide range of neurologic diseases and treatments, including:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Cerebrovascular disease/stroke
Dementia (memory loss)
Epilepsy - Due to limited appointment availability with Epileptology providers, UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Neurology will no longer be accepting new Epilepsy patient referrals until further notice.
Headaches and Migraines
Movement disorders (including Parkinson's disease, tremor and restless leg syndrome)
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Muscular dystrophy (MD)
Myasthenia Gravis (MG)
Myopathy
Neuropathy
Neuromuscular disorders
Neuro-immunology
Neuro-oncology
Peripheral neuropathy
Spasticity management

In addition to caring for you or your loved ones, our neurologists:

Serve as Program Directors for The Iowa Methodist Medical Center Accredited Stroke Center
Serve as Medical Directors for the Iowa Parkinson Disease Information and Referral Center/American Parkinson Disease Association, Iowa Chapter
Serve as Medical Directors for The Iowa Methodist Medical Center Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
Teach medical students, including those from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
Are involved in clinical research for Parkinson's disease and Migraines

The Epilepsy Center at Iowa Methodist Medical Center

We strive to provide our patients with the best seizure control possible, and we believe that patients should be well-informed about their diagnosis and actively participate in their treatment decisions. At our center, we provide a wide range of tests.

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is especially important to help treat patients with epilepsy. It records the brain's electrical activity and can provide support for the diagnosis and type of epilepsy. EEGs also can help locate the region of the brain where a seizure starts.

The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU)

If more tests are needed to help understand the patient's particular case, simultaneous video and brain wave recording is often the best tool for diagnosis.

This type of study is called video electroencephalography (video EEG). It requires a brief hospital stay at our Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. Unique in central Iowa, this unit allows us to achieve safe, high-quality video EEG studies to help confirm the nature of a patient's seizure. This helps to guide treatment. Video-EEGs are also useful to diagnose episodic events such as fainting or black-out spells, spells of unknown origin, confusion, hallucinations, or behavior spells.

Additional features of our EMU include:

The patient's cognitive status is monitored by qualified nurses during and immediately after spells. These assessments provide more information as to how seizures affect patients.

Epilepsy Treatments

Most patients respond to anti-epileptic medications. Currently there are over 25 seizure medications available. However, about 1/3 of seizure patients will still have seizures despite medications.
Neurostimulation, such as Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). This uses a device to send electrical impulses to the brain and can decrease seizure frequency in many patients who did not benefit from medications with relatively low risk of side effects. With an assessment, you can find out if these devices can be appropriate for you.
Many other innovative epilepsy therapies are being explored and carry great promise for patients and their care givers.
Surgery to remove the abnormal brain tissue causing the seizures is an option for patients with medically refractory epilepsy, also known as epilepsy that isn't being effectively treated by medications. This is only done after a very thorough evaluation. Not everybody qualifies for this surgery, and those patients may benefit from other treatments.

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Infectious Disease Services | UnityPoint Health - Des Moines

UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Infectious Disease - Methodist Plaza physicians provide specialized services unique in the Central Iowa area in the area of infectious disease. Our team has expertise in a wide range of diseases and treatments. Infectious diseases include those caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Our specialists are experts on these illnesses. They are also knowledgeable about the overuse of antibiotics. They have training in infection control, immunology (how the body fights infection) and epidemiology (how infections spread).