Letter: The State of Cerebrovascular Care in Africa

Abstract

To the Editor:Cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs) refer to a subset of medical conditions that affect cerebral circulation, such as stroke, carotid stenosis, intracranial stenosis, aneurysms, vascular malformations, and carotid stenosis. CVDs necessitate careful monitoring to CORRESPONDENCE

In Reply: The State of Cerebrovascular Care in Africa

“…Drs Jean, Felbaum, and Syed operated with Ghanaian colleagues and taught residents. It is in this context that we read the recent letter written by Tenkorang et al 1 with great interest. In the weeks before our mission to Ghana, we had been in communication with our host neurosurgeon, Dr Teddy Totimeh regarding providing cerebrovascular care during the trip.…”

“…Early diagnosis and intervention, although initially resource intense, can provide durable results to patients in their professional prime and restore them to a full and productive life within their community. Cerebrovascular Care—As stated in the original commentary, 1 the time sensitivity and resource dependence for acute ischemic care treatment using tPa or mechanical thrombectomy would likely require significant changes to the health care systems. We believe an important first step toward improving cerebrovascular care would be the treatment of hemorrhagic strokes, especially from aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and cavernomas.…”

In Reply: The State of Cerebrovascular Care in Africa

“…We express our gratitude to Dr Totimeh et al for their letter 1 in response to our article on the state of cerebrovascular care in Africa. 2 The issues encountered in delivering cerebrovascular care in Ghana are evident, and we appreciate their insights into said issues while being heartened by their acknowledgement of the urgent need to enhance African neurosurgical care.…”

“…We second the idea that neurosurgical coverage should be added to local health insurance to ensure that patients would be able to receive the care they require. The lack of technical expertise 1 identified by Dr Totimeh and his team is also concerning. In particular, his team member noted that during surgical preparation in the operating room, nurses were ill-prepared and lacked the technical expertise warranted for critical intraoperative tasks.…”

“…

To the Editor:We express our gratitude to Dr Totimeh et al for their letter 1 in response to our article on the state of cerebrovascular care in Africa. 2 The issues encountered in delivering cerebrovascular care in Ghana are evident, and we appreciate their insights into said issues while being heartened by their acknowledgement of the urgent need to enhance African neurosurgical care. The concerns identified by Dr Totimeh and his collaborators are valid and highlighting the pressing need for a transformation in the health care systems in Ghana and Africa is admirable.

…”