Referring Providers
BIDMC welcomes physician referrals and the opportunity to provide excellent care for your patients.
Division of Autonomic & Peripheral Nerve Disorders
Nerve Disorder Care, Research & Education
At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), our Division of Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders and our Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders provide extraordinary, multidisciplinary care for people with conditions affecting the peripheral and autonomic nervous systems.
Our patients always come first. We combine compassionate clinical care, world-class education and cutting-edge research to provide the most advanced diagnosis and treatments available. Patients also benefit from access to clinical trials and translational research, bringing tomorrow’s therapies into practice today.
More About the Division
Care & Services
We treat a wide spectrum of peripheral nerve conditions. The management of these conditions ranges from conservative treatments to advanced surgical intervention.
Nonsurgical and Conservative Care
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Ultrasound-guided injections and nerve hydrodissection
- Psychotherapy and supportive counseling
- Pharmacotherapy (medications tailored to your condition)
- Spinal cord stimulators
- Participation in clinical trials
Surgical Interventions
When necessary, our neurosurgeons collaborate with orthopedic, plastic and reconstructive surgeons to provide advanced care, including:
- Nerve repair and reconstruction
- Nerve and tendon transfers
- Vascularized nerve grafting
- Free functional muscle transfer
- Pain management procedures, including targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) and regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI) for neuroma-related or phantom limb pain
Diagnostic Services
Accurate diagnosis is the foundation of effective treatment. Depending on your needs, you may undergo:
- Electromyography (EMG) & Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS): Measures nerve and muscle function.
- High-frequency ultrasound & MRI: Provides detailed imaging of nerves and surrounding tissues.
- Autonomic Testing: Non-invasive assessments that measure heart rate, blood pressure, and sweat responses.
- Skin Biopsy: Small, outpatient procedure to evaluate small nerve fibers under the microscope.
Education & Training
Education is an essential part of our mission. Our division trains:
- Medical students, residents and neuromuscular fellows, including a Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship with an autonomic disorders subspecialty track.
- Clinicians across disciplines through monthly or quarterly conferences, case discussions and periodic educational activities for providers encountering nerve injury patients.
This ensures that current and future clinicians are equipped to deliver the highest-quality, streamlined nerve care.
Research
Our program includes a robust translational research laboratory as well as internationally recognized clinical research.
- Translational research spans from basic science and animal studies through to human clinical trials, ensuring discoveries move quickly from bench to bedside.
- Ongoing studies include quantitative EMG, high-frequency ultrasound and MRI, correlating electrophysiologic data with clinical and patient-reported outcomes.
- Our Center focuses on:
- Leading-edge discoveries of new autonomic disorders
- Developing biomarkers to improve diagnosis
- Bringing new therapies into practice faster
- As a patient, you may have access to active clinical trials designed to improve quality of life and expand treatment options.
