Making the Rounds with interventional neurologist Dr. Lila Sheikhi

For this edition of Making the Rounds, we interviewed Dr. Lila Sheikhi, a vascular interventional neurologist at the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute.

We spoke with Dr. Sheikhi about the types of patients she treats and what she most enjoys about her work.

Who are the typical patients you treat?

Patients that I see usually have some sort of blood vessel disorder of the head and neck. I also see folks with arteriovenous malformations, such as abnormal connections between the arteries and veins, and I also see folks who have strokes.

How has treatment of stroke patients changed over the years?

We certainly have a lot more understanding about why folks get stroke in the first place. There are plenty of innovations from all directions and we're seeing that from the tools, to the understanding of stroke, as well as even getting people into our angio suites to get the results.

I remember the first time as a med student I saw a biplane suite and I saw the equipment, which are these two large X-ray machines that essentially swivel on these platforms and I thought, ‘this is space-age.’

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I think having the ability to work with these tools to fine tune and understand what's going on in patients is very exciting, as well as engaging and fulfilling.

But I also have a lot of enjoyment in helping families navigate this process because this is something I have experience with. I know this is a very difficult time for a lot of folks; to meet in this manner. But I think it's something that I'm able to do well.

Watch our full interview with Dr. Sheikhi.