Team at Vets Now hospital in Glasgow
Neurology Service Launched At Vets Now, Glasgow
1 year ago 
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One of Europe’s leading emergency hospitals has launched a new neurology and neurosurgery service.
The state-of-the art Vets Now Hospital in the heart of Glasgow started seeing patients last month, with the first case being a paralysed French bulldog helped to walk again.
The service is being headed by Dr Marioni-Henry, who brings two decades of experience in neurology/neurosurgery practice, research and training on both sides of the Atlantic.
With ever-greater demand for specialist veterinary treatment, the new service at the Glasgow Vets Now Hospital will provide much-needed options, both for ECC and referrals in the west of Scotland and beyond.
“I’m so happy to be here and really looking forward to what we can offer,” said Dr Marioni-Henry.
“This is absolutely the best place to be brought in an emergency, but previously we’d have to refer some cases elsewhere for conditions affecting the brain, peripheral nerves or the spine.
“Now some of these debilitating neurological conditions can be diagnosed and treated rapidly here without having to transport the animal.”
Dr Marioni-Henry graduated from the University of Parma in 1995 and went on to do a PhD in Clinical Electrodiagnostic at the University of Turin and Scott-Ritchey Research Center in Auburn, Alabama.
A return to the USA beckoned for a Rotating Internship in small animal medicine & surgery at Auburn University and a residency in neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, with a subspecialty in Neurology.
After a period as a Clinical Instructor at the University of Missouri, she became an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee.
Dr Marioni-Henry came to the UK to work as a consultant in neurology and neurosurgery for a number of large referral practices. Having missed her academic work, she moved to the University of Edinburgh in 2013.
She started the neurology/neurosurgery service at the Hospital for Small Animals of the R(D)SVS and built it up from scratch to a busy nine-strong team.
Seeking a fresh challenge, she made the move from Edinburgh to Glasgow this autumn.
“I knew about the support network here and that this was somewhere I could enjoy working with colleagues with great expertise in ECC, anaesthesia, surgery, oncology and medicine,” said Dr Marioni-Henry.
“Vets Now have a real emphasis on teaching, with rotating and specialist interns and residents, so I could keep up my love of teaching.”
Although it is just up and running, there are plans to expand the service and add new equipment to the impressive existing facilities.
However, many procedures and investigations are already possible.
“With our CT scanner, for example, we can diagnose slipped discs quickly, especially in small breeds, and treat them surgically,” added Dr Marioni-Henry. “And we can use it for brain scans if there is trauma or if we suspect a tumour or severe inflammation in the brain.
“We can do a lumbar tap to rule out inflammation of the central nervous system either on infectious or immune-mediated basis.”
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