Neurosurgery

Low back pain (LBP) is amongst the top causes of disability worldwide and each of us will experience an episode of LBP in our lifetime. The majority of those will heal overtime without any intervention while a small portion of those patient will require treatment.
Several treatment options are available, ranging from rest and pain medications, physical therapy, injections, rhizotomy and if need is surgery as the last option.
Spine surgery is indicated if the lesion is causing dysfunction of a limb, severe unbearable pain besides adequate pain medications or dysfunction of the bladder and bowels.

The common causes of the above necessitating a spine operation include but not all:

• A prolapsed (slipped) intervertebral disc.
• Stenosis (narrowing) of the spinal canal.
• Deformity and or instability of the spine.
• Tumors of the spine or spine cord.
• Trauma.

Classically open surgery has been performed for many decades around the world. At Ongwediva Medipark, we also offer a world class new spine surgical technology called minimally invasive spine surgery or MISS.

In adults, a neurosurgeon may perform a brain operation if there is a potentially fatal lesion or causing neurological compromise such as paralysis of a body area.

At OMAH, operations to repair brain damage caused by motor vehicle accidents are the most performed followed those to remove brain tumors like meningiomas, pituitary tumours and glimas. Although rare, these brain tumours are potentially lethal and after surgical removal, chemotherapy and or radiation therapy is added if they are confirmed to be malignant(cancer).

The most common neurosurgical condition found in children in our communities is hydrocephalus or excessive cerebral spine fluid (CSF) commonly known as the brain water. It is caused by either excessive production/impaired absorption in the brain or a blockage in its pathway.

If it unfortunately happens, at OMP we provide them with long term treatment by performing procedure called a shunt insertion or ETV.

Although very seldom, spine congenital abnormalities as well as brain tumors are also found in children.

Hydrocephalus and congenital spine abnormality are generally preventable conditions thus we encourage mothers in reproduction age to consult a doctor BEFORE they plan to have a child as these abnormalities occur as early as the first month of pregnancy.

When they unfortunately occur, Neurosurgeons team up with paediatricians, physiotherapist, Occupational therapist to give children with such diseases a compassionate patient-directed world class treatment.