Tech Neck Syndrome: A global epidemic of the modern era among students at the University of Abomey Calavi in Benin

Context and Objective: “Tech neck” is a recent term used to describe neck pain related to smartphone use. It is a health problem that has been increasing considerably since the last decade. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Teck Neck syndrome among young students at the University of Abomey Calavi, in order to highlight the different factors that contribute to the occurrence of this condition. Patients and Method: This is a prospective descriptive study with consecutive sampling conducted over a period of 3 months. The study involved 1,835 young students at the University of Abomey Calavi in Benin, 850 of whom had symptoms of Tech Neck.Epi Data 3.1 software was used for data entry and R software for statistical analysis. Proportions were calculated for qualitative variables. Quantitative variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare means. The significance level was set at risk alfa = 0.05. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: For 421 (49.52%) of the participants, their symptoms would be caused by prolonged neck flexion when writing messages. Of the 1835 students, 1368 (74.55 %) reported constant communication by telephone message. In this study, 55.91 % and 89.43 % of participants respectively stated that they could not determine how often they handled their smartphone within 1 h and 24 h. None of the participants kept their neck straight when writing a message. Conclusion: The Tech neck syndrome is a health problem that has increased considerably over the last decade, especially among students, due to the misuse of NICT

Management of pituitary adenoma: Preliminary experience with endoscopic endonasal transphenoidal surgery in a developing country. Example of Senegal about 180 cases

Introduction: Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery is currently the gold-standard therapeutic approach for pituitary adenomas. Although being spread worldwide, the endoscopic endonasal approach for pituitary adenomas is recently implemented in Senegal.This study aimed to report our results and the complications observed in the context of an under-equipped facility. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study including all patients with a pituitary adenoma treated who underwent endonasal transsphenoidal resection under a single endoscopic approach from January 2014 to May 2022, in the Neurosurgery Department of Fann National Hospital Centre, Dakar. All patients were assessed according to clinical, radiological, and endocrinological criteria. They all were operated by the same team with an average follow-up of 24 months. Results: In this series of 180 patients, including 57.7 % women and 42.3% men with a mean age of 44.8 years (extremes of 18 and 76 years), the visual deficit was the most frequent onset symptom (69.4 %), followed by clinical forms of hormone hypersecretion (30.5 %). Twelve cases of pituitary apoplexy and 1 case of incidentaloma were reported. The most frequent tumors were non-functional tumors (61.6 %). Among the functional adenomas, the most frequent was prolactinoma (15.5 %). Regarding tumor size, 75 % were macroadenomas, 15.5 % were microadenomas, and 9.5 % were giants. Cavernous sinus invasion (Knosp grade ≥ 3) and suprasellar extension were noted in 14.4 % and 53.3 %, respectively. The resection was total in 80 % of cases, subtotal in 18.8 %, and partial in 1.2 %. Partial improvement of sight was observed in 91.1% and endocrine hypersecretion remission in 76.6 %. As for complications, the most frequent was transient diabetes insipidus (32.7 %). Conclusion: Despite the scanty resources, our results are similar to the best-reported series and strengthen scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of performing this technique in an under-equipped setting context

Successful adaptation of twinning concept for global neurosurgery collaborations—a validation study

Introduction: Globally, many regions have an urgent, unmet need of neurosurgical care. A multi-step neurosurgical twinning technique, International Neurosurgical Twinning Modeled for Africa (INTIMA), was proved to be successful during a previous mission to Neurosurgical Unit, Enugu, Nigeria. The Swedish African Neurosurgical Collaboration (SANC) performed a developmental mission together with the local neurosurgical unit in The Gambia, adopting the INTIMA model. Methods: A multidisciplinary team visited for a 2-week collaborative mission at the Neurosurgical Department of the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul, The Gambia. The mission followed the data of neurosurgical operations during and after the mission as well as about the operations 3 months prior to and after the mission was collected. Results: During the mission, a total of 22 operations was carried out, the most common being degenerative spinal conditions (n = 9). In the 3 months following the mission, 43 operations were performed compared to 24 during the 3 months leading up to the mission. The complexity of the performed procedures increased after the mission. An operating microscope (Möller-Wedel) was donated and installed and the neurosurgeons on site underwent training in microneurosurgery. The surgical nurses, nurses at the postoperative ward, and the physiotherapists underwent training. A biomedical engineer serviced multiple appliances and devices improving the patient care on site while training local technicians. Conclusion: This study validated the use of the INTIMA model previously described in a mission by Swedish African Neurosurgical Collaboration (SANC). The model is sustainable and produces notable results. The core strength of the model is in the multidisciplinary team securing all the aspects and steps of the neurosurgical care. Installation of an operating microscope opened for further microsurgical possibilities, improving the neurosurgical care in The Gambia.Peer reviewe