Louisiana doctor recognized for innovative work in leprosy and Hansen's disease
A Shreveport and Natchitoches Electrodiagnostic Specialist was recognized nationally and internationally during the March 9, National Hansen's Disease Conference.
Dr. Stephen W. Wheat was recognized as the leader of a team using the cutting edge technology of a hand-held ultrasound to diagnose Hansen's disease or leprosy.
Wheat was one of the featured speakers during the conference and spoke about his work using a hand-held ultrasound for early diagnosis of Hansen's disease.
Wheat’s work was recently cited in a global paper written by researchers from the Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, India and the Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, The Netherlands.
His team’s new Hansen’s disease research will help to provide early and accurate diagnosis of this disease that has left its mark on history and that still today affects 4 million people across the world, with 200,000 new cases recorded each year.
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Wheat has practiced electrodiagnostic medicine in Northwest Louisiana for more than 30 year and has performed more than 17,000 electrodiagnostic procedures and 14,000 neuromuscular and skeletal ultrasound procedures to help diagnose or rule out nerve and muscle disorders.
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana doctor internationally recognized for work in leprosy
