Primary spinal cord mansoni schistosomiasis : a case report

The authors present the case of a 25-year-old male with a paraplegia of fluctuating character which still proved to be a diagnostic problem after investigations which included myelography, CT-myelography and magnetic resonance imaging. Laminectomy and biopsy revealed a schistosomal granuloma in the region of the conus medullaris.Keywords: Spinal schistosomiasis, diagnostic proble

Primary spinal cord mansoni schistosomiasis: a case report

The authors present the case of a 25 year-old male with paraplegia of fluctuating character which still proved to be a diagnostic problem after investigations which included myelography, CT-myelography and magnetic resonance imaging. Laminectomy and biopsy revealed a schistosomal granuloma in the region of the conus medullaris

A prospective neurosurgical registry evaluating the clinical care of traumatic brain injury patients presenting to Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda.

BackgroundTraumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is disproportionally concentrated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the odds of dying from TBI in Uganda more than 4 times higher than in high income countries (HICs). The objectives of this study are to describe the processes of care and determine risk factors predictive of poor outcomes for TBI patients presenting to Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH), Kampala, Uganda.MethodsWe used a prospective neurosurgical registry based on Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) to systematically collect variables spanning 8 categories. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to determine significant predictors of mortality.Results563 TBI patients were enrolled from 1 June- 30 November 2016. 102 patients (18%) received surgery, 29 patients (5.1%) intended for surgery failed to receive it, and 251 patients (45%) received non-operative management. Overall mortality was 9.6%, which ranged from 4.7% for mild and moderate TBI to 55% for severe TBI patients with GCS 3-5. Within each TBI severity category, mortality differed by management pathway. Variables predictive of mortality were TBI severity, more than one intracranial bleed, failure to receive surgery, high dependency unit admission, ventilator support outside of surgery, and hospital arrival delayed by more than 4 hours.ConclusionsThe overall mortality rate of 9.6% in Uganda for TBI is high, and likely underestimates the true TBI mortality. Furthermore, the wide-ranging mortality (3-82%), high ICU fatality, and negative impact of care delays suggest shortcomings with the current triaging practices. Lack of surgical intervention when needed was highly predictive of mortality in TBI patients. Further research into the determinants of surgical interventions, quality of step-up care, and prolonged care delays are needed to better understand the complex interplay of variables that affect patient outcome. These insights guide the development of future interventions and resource allocation to improve patient outcomes

Management variable association with mortality.

<p>Management variable association with mortality.</p

Multivariate model of predictors of traumatic brain injury mortality by adjusted odds ratios (OR).

<p>This parsimonious multivariate model was generated through logistic regression using the stepwise backward elimination approach at the p<0.05 level. The model was adjusted for the following confounders: age, polytrauma, and CT diagnosis.</p

Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH) traumatic brain injury (TBI) prospective rapid electronic data capture (REDCap) registry workflow.

<p>Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH) traumatic brain injury (TBI) prospective rapid electronic data capture (REDCap) registry workflow.</p