Services
GADOLINIUM TOXICITY & GADOLINIUM DEPOSITION DISEASE MEDICAL CONSULTATION
Dr. Semelka offers clinical medical consultation for individuals experiencing Gadolinium Toxicity. His clinical services include reviewing patient data, recommending specific tests and creating formal medical records. For individuals who receive a Gadolinium Deposition Disease (GDD) diagnosis, Dr. Semelka offers in person treatment at his Chapel Hill, NC office. For out of state patients Dr. Semelka and his team can recommend providers in your area.
Dr. Semelka also offers services including updating patients on advancements in treatment, working with ancillary professionals involved in the case, and creating medical reports which can be used to submit to your insurance company, your records, and other purposes.
In conjunction with colleagues at major medical centers Dr. Semelka has written some of the largest and definitive works on Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis. They have published major works on deposition of gadolinium in the brain, which Dr. Semelka terms Gadolinium Storage Condition. He is a world authority on the subject of gadolinium toxicity in patients with normal renal function, which he has termed Gadolinium Deposition Disease (GDD). Dr. Semelka is the physician most qualified to establish this diagnosis in patients and generate reports on the confirmation of Gadolinium Deposition Disease, based on his extensive experience with these sufferers both in the clinical setting and in peer-reviewed publications.
With his colleagues Dr. Semelka has developed strategies to manage and treat subjects with GDD, including present iv treatment with Ca-/Zn-DTPA. Research is ongoing into other types of chelation and also the critical ancillary component of decreasing immune response and immune modulation. At the present time pharmaceutical agents that are optimal for immune modulation for this condition have not been firmly established.
MEDICOLEGAL EXPERT
Dr. Semelka has more than 20 years of experience serving as a medicolegal expert in Radiology. He has served as an expert for both plaintiffs and defendants. Dr. Semelka brings to this service a highly accomplished background of publications, being one of the most published experts in Radiology. This includes some of the seminal papers written on the subject of medicolegal expertise and standard of care. These articles are frequently used as the basis for medicolegal evaluation of cases in the United States and world-wide. Dr. Semelka’s areas of greatest expertise for medicolegal work are body MRI and CT of the abdomen and pelvis. He does also evaluate other types of studies including plain x-rays of many types and chest CT; these latter areas he serves as standard of care as a general radiologist.
CONSULTATION OF BODY MRI CASES
Dr. Semelka is one of the pioneers of modern body MRI, Dr. Semelka has authored the definitive text book on Body MRI: MRI of the Abdomen and Pelvis, and has written six versions of this type of text book over a 24 year period. Dr. Semelka has extensive experience with interpreting clinical body MRI cases, having interpreted at least 50,000 body MRI studies over a 26 year career as a faculty radiologist. He offers the service of interpretation of outside MRI studies.
Dr. Semelka has written many of the early definitive papers from 1990-1993 on Body MRI, he has consistently remained one of the leading authors in the field. (Click here to view for more details on my background and achievements).
TEACHING SESSIONS IN BODY MRI
Dr. Semelka provides a full range of teaching sessions, including visiting professorships, view box teaching, scanner side teaching of ongoing studies, and week-long teaching programs.
Dr. Semelka has 26 years of experience teaching on body MRI having given numerous presentations at local, national and international meetings. He has made major presentations on body MRI, safety in Radiology, and Gadolinium toxicity, throughout the world.
DRUG DEVELOPMENT, POLICY, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Semelka is a world authority with experience on major issues in Radiology including: safety, contrast agent development, treatment of contrast reactions, Radiologist income, and Health Care Reform.
EXPERT IN PUBLICATIONS
Dr Semelka has written over 370 peer-reviewed publications, over 100 chapters and reviews, and 16 text-books. He is highly proficient in all aspects of publication. Some common requests for him include editing manuscripts in preparation for submission for publications, recommending journals for submission, and responding to reviewers' comments.