An Ethiopian Training Program in Neurosurgery with Norwegian Support.

After a 4-year planning period, a joint Ethiopian/Norwegian training program in neurosurgery was started in June 2006. The collaborating partners were Addis Ababa University; Department of Surgery, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital; University of Bergen; Haukeland University Hospital; and Myungsung Christian Medical Center, a Korean missionary hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A memorandum of understanding was signed at dean/chief executive officer levels.

Review of lumbar disc diseases at Tikur Anbessa Hospital.

Background: Disc degeneration is common, the pattern and prevalence of various signs of disc degeneration is unclear. Neither hospital nor population-based data or study is available on lumbar disc diseases in Ethiopia. The sequelae of disk degeneration are among the leading causes of functional incapacity in both sexes and are a common source of chronic disability in the working years.

The consequence of delayed neurosurgical care at Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Tikur Anbessa Hospital (TAH) is the major teaching hospital for Addis Ababa University and the only tertiary referral hospital for neurosurgery in Ethiopia. We explore the consequence of delayed treatment by examining the current system in place for treating patients and the wait times experienced by patients. A retrospective chart review was carried out on patients who received a neurosurgical operation at TAH between January 1 and June 30, 2007.

In-patient surgical mortality in Tikur Anbessa Hospital: a five-year review.

Background: To our knowledge neither hospital nor population-based data is available about mortality patterns in Ethiopia.

Objective: This review summarizes the patterns of deaths that occurred in hospital under the care of surgical team, during the 5-year period.

Patients And Methods: This is a hospital based retrospective cross sectional analysis of mortality among surgical patients admitted to Tikur Anbessa Specialized Teaching Hospital (TASTH), Department of Surgery, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the period between January 2002 and December 2006.

Injury surveillance in six hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Objective: This surveillance was initiated to see the hospital burden of injuries and as a pilot to test the injury surveillance integration in Ethiopia.

Background: Injury is becoming the major health problems in low income countries. Though it is important cause of mortality and morbidity, due attention is not given by the low-income countries.

Intramedullary cavernous haemangioma of spinal cord: a case report and literature review.

A 27-year-old female patient with progressive paraparesis and incontinence of urine of 9 months duration was managed at Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Neurosurgery unit, Department Of Surgery, Medical Faculty, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa. Thoracic myelography showed an intramedullary mass at T3-T5 levels of the spinal cord. Histopathology revealed cavernous haemangioma.

Meningiomas: clinical correlates, skull x-ray, CT and pathological evaluations.

Objective: To assess the frequency and the diagnostic performance of plain skull x-ray and and CT of meningiomas.

Methods: All pathologically diagnosed intracranial meningiomas in patients seen at Tikur Anbessa Hospitals were reviewed.

Results: Between December 1999 and July 2004 there were 25 histologically diagnosed cases of meningioma at the Tikur Anbessa Hospital (TAH).

Surgical management of carpal tunnel syndrome in neurosurgery practice in Ethiopia and review of literature.

Carpal tunnel compression of the median nerve is a common condition with an estimated incidence of 0.1% to 10% and a direct medical cost of above dollars 1 billion per year in the USA. Between the years 1995 to 2002, 28 cases, 6 (21.

Management of cervical ribs causing neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome: a ten year experience in the neurosurgery unit, Tikur Anbessa Hospital.

Eighteen cases of cervical Ribs causing numbness, paraesthesia and wasting of hand muscles were seen during the years 1990 to 1999 in neurosurgery unit of Tikur Anbessa, a central, referral teaching hospital. There were thirteen cases of unilateral, and 5 bilateral brachialgic pains M:F = 1:2 with ages range from 15-50 yrs (mean age 32 +/- 4.8 yrs); though it is 3 times common in women specially those with neurologic symptoms.

Trauma registry in Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A simplified trauma registry was tested in Tikur anbessa hospital, with the aim of obtaining preliminary data on the patterns and magnitude of injuries and establishing the basis towards surveillance system. All injured patients presented to the surgical and pediatric emergency department between January 1, 1999 and June 31, 1999 were included. Interns completed the registry forms, which include demographic, injury event specific, severity and outcome data.