Records read in full before you arrive, an independent examination, and a candid assessment — including when it confirms exactly what you were already told.
Neurological diagnosis is difficult, and reasonable physicians disagree. Seeking another view is not a judgement on the first one — it is ordinary diligence, particularly when the diagnosis commits you to years of treatment.
Some situations warrant it more than others. A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, epilepsy or a neurodegenerative disease carries lifelong implications and deserves confirmation. So does a treatment that has not worked after a fair trial, a set of symptoms that nobody has been able to name, or a plan that was explained too quickly for you to follow.
Before your visit. Send your records — prior neurology notes, hospital discharge summaries, laboratory results, and imaging on disc with the written reports. These are reviewed in full before you arrive, so the appointment is not spent reading paperwork.
At your visit. We take the history again from the beginning, without assuming the earlier conclusion, and perform a complete independent examination. Anchoring on a prior diagnosis is the most common way a second opinion becomes worthless.
Afterwards. You receive a clear written assessment: whether we agree, what we would do differently and why, and what further testing would settle any remaining uncertainty. If the original diagnosis was right, we say so plainly — that is a useful result too.
Imaging is far more useful as the actual images than as a report. Request a disc or a digital copy from the imaging centre, not just the radiologist's written summary. Call us at 718-814-4500 and we will tell you exactly what to gather.
“A second opinion that simply repeats the chart is not a second opinion. We take the history again from the beginning.”