Sanjeev Sivakumar, M.D., a graduating chief resident in the Wayne State University Department of Neurology, has published a case report in the upcoming issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The case report involves secondary palatal myoclonus to tegmental brainstem hemorrhagic stroke.

Dr. Sivakumar thanked his mentor on this project, Kumar Rajamani, M.D., D.M., associate professor of Neurology and director of the Vascular Neurology Fellowship Program.

"This is a unique neurological syndrome and rarely associated with hemorrhagic stroke," Dr. Rajamani said. "With the help of advanced magnetic resonance imaging sequences, we were able to identify the cause of palatal myoclonus secondary to stroke in an anatomically eloquent area responsible for the patient's symptoms."

"The New England Journal of Medicine is one of the highest ranked peer-reviewed journals in medicine, and for a resident to publish in it is a superb achievement," said Ramesh Madhavan, M.D., D.M., associate professor of Neurology and director of the Detroit Medical Center-Wayne State University School of Medicine Neurology Residency Program. "It also speaks to the academic and residency training standards set by the Department of Neurology, which is widely acknowledged as one of the best residency training programs in the country."

Dr. Sivakumar received his medical degree in 2010 from Sri Ramachandra University in India. He completed an internship at the Detroit Medical Center's Sinai Grace Hospital in 2012, and is completing his DMC-WSU neurology residency.