The Department of Neurology was founded in March 1962. Head of the Department was one of the first lecturers and founders of the Medical University – Varna, Prof. Dr. R. Koynov. He was the first neurologist in Bulgaria to receive the degree “Candidate of Medical Sciences", and later the academic degree “Doctor of Medical Sciences" at the Research Institute of Neurosurgery “N. P. Burdenko" – Moscow.
In June 1964, two clinics were formed within the Department – a Neurology Clinic with 55 beds and a Neurosurgery Clinic with 40 beds, and the department was renamed Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. The teaching staff increased to 17 people.
The department was subsequently headed, after 1985, by Prof. Hubenov, Assoc. Prof. Cholakov, and Prof. Minchev.
In 1979, a Neurology Clinic was established at the branch Faculty of Medicine in the city of Tolbukhin, headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. G. Markov, and from 1982 by Prof. Dr. D. Minchev.
In 1986, a Second Neurology Clinic was established, specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cerebrovascular diseases and those in need of intensive care and resuscitation. The First Neurology Clinic remained multidisciplinary, providing highly specialized services in all areas of clinical neurology.
In 1989, the Department was divided into two – Neurosurgery headed by Assoc. Prof. Cholakov and Neurology headed by Prof. Minchev.
From 01.02.1991, the Department of Neurology was located at the Varna Therapeutic Hospital with 3 clinics: First Neurology Clinic headed by Assoc. Prof. Drenski, Second Neurology Clinic headed by Prof. Minchev with a vascular intensive care sector, and Third Neurology Clinic headed by Assoc. Prof. Havezova.
The therapeutic-diagnostic and scientific activities led to the creation of laboratories (electrophysiological – EEG and EMG, aphasiological, cerebrospinal fluid, and neurosonography) and consulting offices (neuro-ophthalmological, neuropsychological). Methods for evoked potentials, brain mapping, 24-hour EEG were introduced.
Since May 2000, Head of the Department of Neurology has been Prof. Dr. N. Deleva.
Since August 2012, Head of the Department of Nervous Diseases has been Prof. Dr. A. Kaprelyan.
Since September 2018, Head of the Department of Nervous Diseases has been Prof. Dr. S. Andonova.
Currently, the structure of the department includes 2 units:
- First Clinic of Nervous Diseases with 30 beds, and
- Second Clinic of Nervous Diseases with the Department for Treatment of Acute Cerebral Strokes and Department for Intensive Treatment of Nervous Diseases with a total of 45 beds.
The First Clinic of Nervous Diseases, headed by Prof. Dr. A. Kaprelyan, is a center for highly specialized diagnostic, therapeutic, and expert activities, according to national consensus guidelines for multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, dementias, headache, back and lumbar pain, neuromuscular, neuro-oncological, cerebrovascular, and other neurological diseases in Varna, the Varna region, and Northeastern Bulgaria.
The Second Clinic of Nervous Diseases with the Department for Treatment of Acute Cerebral Strokes and Department for Intensive Treatment of Nervous Diseases, headed by Assoc. Prof. D. Georgieva, MD, PhD, is specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of acute cerebrovascular disorders, as well as epilepsy, inflammatory, degenerative, and other diseases of the nervous system. The main goal is to provide highly qualified diagnostics, adequate specific therapeutic management, and intensive care, as well as effective primary and secondary prevention of central and peripheral nervous system diseases. The Second Neurology Clinic treats acute, exacerbated, and chronic diseases of the peripheral and central nervous system with complicated courses requiring intensive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The structure of the clinic includes the Department for Treatment of Acute Cerebral Strokes headed by Assoc. Prof. M. Tsalta-Mladenov, MD, PhD, and the Department for Intensive Treatment of Neurological Diseases with angiographic and invasive neurology activities headed by T. Drenski, MD, PhD. The clinic admits patients for intensive care and resuscitation from the Varna region and Northeastern Bulgaria with severe, life-threatening neurological diseases (cerebral infarction or hemorrhage, meningitis, encephalitis, status epilepticus, myasthenic crisis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
The Functional-Diagnostic Complex includes specialized offices for Electroencephalography (EEG), Electromyography (EMG), Evoked Potentials (EP), Neurosonology, Polysomnography, Neuropsychology, Neuro-ophthalmology. They are equipped with modern medical technology and staffed by specialized department associates and technicians.
The medical teams are involved in and work on international projects and clinical trials, providing expert activities for early diagnosis and treatment of various neurological diseases (multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, dementias, epilepsy, cerebrovascular diseases, etc.), which ensures continuous qualification in accordance with the latest global diagnostic and therapeutic achievements and recognition of the high quality of diagnostic and therapeutic activity in both neurology clinics.
Heads of the Department of Nervous Diseases and Neurosciences:
- Prof. Raycho Koynov (1962 – 1985)
- Prof. Petar Hubenov (1985 – 1986)
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimitar Cholakov – Head of the Department of Neurosurgery until 2000
- Prof. Dimitar Minchev – Head of the Department of Neurology until 2000
- Prof. Nadezhda Deleva (2000 – 2012)
- Prof. Ara Kaprelyan (2012 – 2018)
- Prof. Silva Andonova (2018 – present)
The current head of the Department of Nervous Diseases and Neurosciences is Prof. Silva Peteva Andonova-Atanasova, MD, PhD, DSc.
