Epilepsy surgery in Panama: Establishment of a successful hybrid program as a model for small middle-income countries.

Objective: The majority of the 65 million people worldwide with epilepsy live in low- and middle-income countries. Many of these countries have inadequate resources to serve the large patient population affected by epilepsy. Panama is a middle-income country that currently has only 2 facilities that can provide basic epilepsy services and no epilepsy surgery services.

The International Tethered Cord Partnership: Beginnings, process, and status.

Background: Spina bifida presents a significant cause of childhood morbidity in lower- and middle-income nations. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of literature examining outcomes among children with spina bifida in these countries. The goal of the International Tethered Cord Parternship is twofold: (1) to establish an international surveillance database to examine the correlation between time of repair and clinical outcomes in children with spina bifida and tethered cord; and (2) to foster collaboration among international institutions around pediatric neurosurgical concerns.