Adelola Adeloye

PSYCHOSOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF SPINA BIFIDA CYSTICA IN NIGERIA

A prospective study of the psychosocial and cultural factors influencing the management of spina bifida cystica was carried out on Nigerian children (48 males, 28 females) seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, between January 1982 and December 1983. The parents of 74 of the 76 children had never heard of the disease, many had no idea of its causation and one‐third incriminated witchcraft. Of primary concern was the cyst on the back. The better‐educated parents tended to demand surgical treatment more than the illiterate parents. 22 children were treated surgically. The default rate was high because parents failed to get the expected hospital treatment. Most mothers showed relief rather than remorse on the death of their child.

Intracranial neoplasms in children in Ibadan, Nigeria

Analysis of 89 intracranial tumors in children presenting at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, between 1960 and 1982 is reported. These tumors are commonest in the first decade of life and occur more in males than in females. Fifty-three per cent of the primary brain tumors are supratentorial. The commonest sites are cerebellum, cerebrum, and the pons. The common histological types are astrocytomas, medulloblastomas, ependymomas, and oligodendrogliomas. Craniopharyngiomas are among the most frequent supratentorial neoplasms in Ibadan children and the central nervous system involvement in cases of Burkitts lymphoma is a frequent complication.

Congenital benign extracranial teratoma in a Nigerian neonate

The clinical, operative, and pathological findings associated with a huge extracranial teratoma in a Nigerian neonate are described. Especially noteworthy are the site and size of the tumor, the surgical treatment and the good prognosis. The child has remained well and developed normally 4 years after surgery.

Craniopharyngioma in nigerian children

Between 1971 and 1986, 20 Nigerian children (less than 1 year to 15 years of age) with craniopharyngiomas were treated at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan. The children made up 71% of all patients with craniopharyngiomas seen in the hospital during the study period. The mean age of the 12 boys and 8 girls was 9.2 years. The predominant symptoms and signs were raised intracranial pressure and visual disturbance. Characteristic radiological features occurred in over 60% of cases; about two-thirds of the tumors were cystic. The advanced tumor stage upon arrival at UCH limited the amount of radical surgery that could be done; 31% died soon after surgery.

The Pattern and Problems of Spina Bifida Cystica at Ibadan, Nigeria

Between 1964 and 1970, 105 Nigerian infants and children with spina bifida cystica were admitted to the University College Hospital, Ibadan. The disease is comparatively rare in Nigeria and its incidence in the population is not yet known. In hospital practice, which shows that spina bifida cystica is commoner in males than in females, the increase in the number of patients with this disease presents problems in management.

Intracranial suppuration complicating tropical pyomyositis. Report of two cases.

Tropical pyomyositis complicated by intracranial abscesses is described in two Nigerian male patients, aged five and 50 years. In both cases, the lesions were verified at autopsy. The occurrence of brain abscesses in pyomyositis is briefly reviewed. The complication may not be as rare as previously thought and this will appear if port-mortem examination is performed on most, possibly all, fatal cases of pyomyositis.

Acute head injuries in children in Ibadan, Nigeria

The city of Ibadan has a population of 3 million people and is the third largest city in Africa. In the mid-1970s, the economic boom in Nigeria was at its peak, which caused many changes in the socioeconomic scenario in the country, changes which affected the pattern of acute head injuries, especially in children. We therefore conducted a prospective study on all head injuries encountered in Nigerians treated in the Emergency Room of the University College Hospital in Ibadan between 1 July and 31 December 1974.

Surgical Aspects of Nontuberculous Bacterial Meningitis in Infancy and Childhood: The Successful Use of Conservative Surgery in Management of Some of Its Complications

At the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, congenital malformations of the central nervous system were important predisposing factors to meningitis. Among 80 patients who survived the acute illnes, the main complications encountered, in order of frequency, were hydrocephalus (12), subdural effusion (4) and intracranial abscess (3). Postmeningitic hydrocephalus was the least dangerous complication with regard to survival, and required a shunt operation only when rapidly progressive. Intracranial abscess was the most lethal complication. Subdural effusions were successfully treated by repeated subdural tapping in 75 per cent of the cases.At the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, congenital malforma tions of the central nervous system were important predisposing factors to meningitis. Among 80 patients who survived the acute illnes, the main complications encountered, in order of frequency, were hydrocephalus (12), subdural effusion (4) and intracranial abscess (3). Postmeningitic hydrocephalus was the least dangerous complication with regard to sur vival, and required a shunt operation only when rapidly progressive. Intra cranial abscess was the most lethal complication. Subdural effusions were successfully treated by repeated subdural tapping in 75 per cent of the cases.

The syndrome of osteopetrosis in siblings: its occurrence in two sisters in Nigeria

Familial osteopetrosis encountered in siblings has clinical and radiological features which appear to constitute a distinct entity. The syndrome is illustrated by osteopetrosis encountered in two sisters in Nigeria and by other reports of the disease in siblings in the literature.

Etiological factors in hearing loss in tangential missile wounds of the head

This communication compares the relative importance of acoustic trauma and of damage to the skull by missiles in the production of the hearing loss encountered among soldiers with tangential missile wounds of the head. Acoustic trauma produces a little deafness of a perceptive nature which is slightly worse in the right ear than in the left. By contrast, injury to the skull by missiles, in the absence of direct aural damage, produces marked perceptive deafness which is often bilateral and usually worse on the side of the head where the missile wound was sustained.