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Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center

Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center

Message from the Director

Receiving a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be quite unsettling. At Stony Brook Medicine’s Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center, we offer expert, individualized care to help you navigate this journey. With our advanced treatments and ongoing research, you have numerous reasons to be optimistic about your future.

Established in 1990 and accredited by the National MS Society, our center was the first of its kind on Long Island and a member of the Consortium of MS Centers. Each year, nearly 1,000 patients from across the country and around the world visit our state-of-the-art facilities to meet with our MS experts. We provide the latest diagnostic treatments, participate in cutting-edge research, and adhere to best practice protocols.

Our individualized approach to comprehensive care ensures that every step of our patient’s care—from evaluations and diagnostic testing to education and treatment— are tailored to meet your specific needs.

We look forward to serving your needs now and in the future.
Sincerely,

Patricia Coyle Signature

Patricia K. Coyle, MD
Director, Stony Brook MS Comprehensive Care Center

Patricia Coyle

Patricia K. Coyle, MD

Director of the MS Comprehensive Care Center Team and Lourie Center for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis and Other White Matter Diseases

Services

Early diagnosis and establishing a long-term treatment plan is essential in managing multiple sclerosis. Treatment at Stony Brook occurs on many levels, including utilizing disease modifying therapies, symptom management, treatment of acute attacks, ongoing health evaluations, lifestyle modifications, and more. Together, your Stony Brook neurologist and multidisciplinary team will continually assess your health status, modify your treatments, and support you every step of the way.

Initial Consultation

During your initial evaluation, you will undergo a comprehensive neurological examination to help our experts provide an accurate diagnosis and develop a personalized treatment plan.

An evaluation typically includes:

  • Assessment of cognitive abilities, strength, coordination, sensation, walking ability, and eye and face movements
  • Common tests such as blood work, MRI/imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and optical coherence tomography

Treatment and Management

We focus on early diagnosis and long-term management of MS to prevent disease progression.

Our treatment approach commonly includes:

  • Disease-modifying therapies
  • Symptom management
  • Acute attack treatment
  • Ongoing health evaluations
  • Lifestyle modifications

Our center has its own infusion room, which makes it more convenient to treat patients whose conditions can’t be effectively treated with medications taken by mouth. An infusion is a drug that is administered intravenously (into the veins) or into the membrane surrounding the spinal cord (epidural). We infuse up to 200 patients per month, and each infusion is supervised by our MS expert neurologists.

Play

A panel of experts from our MS Comprehensive Care Center, led by Patricia K. Coyle, MD, provides answers to everything you want to know about Multiple Sclerosis.

Common Forms of MS

Multiple sclerosis has several forms, each with different patterns of symptoms and progression. The specific form of MS will guide the treatment plan, as varying approaches are needed to manage their unique aspects.

Some of the most common forms of MS include:

  • Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS): The initial central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating attack.
  • Relapsing MS (RMS): About 85 to 90 percent of all patients with MS have relapsing MS. It's characterized by intermittent attacks (flare-ups). In between these attacks, the person is clinically stable.
  • Secondary-Progressive MS (SPMS): People who start out with RMS are at risk of developing SPMS with gradual worsening. The attacks generally decrease and ultimately stop.
  • Primary-Progressive MS (PPMS): Representing about 10 to 15 percent of MS diagnoses, people with PPMS experience a slow but steady worsening of symptoms and disability from the onset. People with PPMS can experience relapses later in their disease.

Other demyelinating diseases treated at Stony Brook include:

  • Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD): A rare disorder affecting the eyes and spinal cord.
  • Transverse Myelitis: Inflammation of the spinal cord causing bilateral weakness.
  • Optic Neuritis: Inflammation of the optic nerve, leading to eye pain and vision loss.
  • Post-Infectious Encephalomyelitis/Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis: Inflammation involving the brain that causes confusion with a variety of other neurologic symptoms.
  • Neurologic Lyme Disease: When Lyme disease affects the central nervous system, potentially mimicking MS symptoms. 

Physicians and Specialists

Our team includes pediatric and adult MS neurologists, an MS nurse practitioner, and an MS registered nurse. We work closely together to provide our patients with a comprehensive and collaborative approach.

Patricia Coyle

Patricia K. Coyle, MD

Director of the MS Comprehensive Care Center Team and Lourie Center for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis and Other White Matter Diseases

Nancy McLinskey

Nancy McLinskey, MD

Neurologist with subspecialty training in multiple sclerosis and central nervous system demyelinating diseases

Kelly Lauren Polito, MD

Kelly Polito, MD

Board-certified neurologist who sees patients at our MS Center in the Lake Grove and Commack offices.

Patricia Melville

Patricia Melville, RN, NP-C, MSCN

Board-certified nurse practitioner specializing in MS care, providing rapid care and assessment and assuring timely communications

Kristine Evans

Kristine Evans, RN

MS Center nurse providing education, counseling, and follow-up care for patients and their families

The Lourie Center for Pediatric MS

The Lourie Center provides care for children and adolescents under 18 with MS or other white matter diseases at our Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. Funded in part by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, our multidisciplinary team led by Director Patricia Coyle, MD includes experts in pediatric neurology, nursing, psychiatry, and neuropsychology.

Patient Resources

Our patient portal, MyHealtheLife, is available 24/7 for non-urgent communication with our MS experts. You can expect a response within 24 to 48 hours when using our patient portal.

Other helpful resources include:

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