S Afr J Surg
-
Access to care by a dedicated neurosurgical unit is limited in the developing world, and the vast majority of patients who sustain a head injury are managed by general surgeons. Prevention of secondary brain injury is paramount. While the principles of management are relatively straightforward, delivering this care may be difficult. This audit looks at the spectrum of head injuries presenting to a busy regional hospital and attempts to measure the quality of care offered to these patients. ⋯ Traumatic brain injury is a common problem. Only a small subset of patients require specialised neurosurgical care. Although many patients with intracranial injury can tolerate the delay associated with transfer, some cases are acute and urgent intervention by non-neurosurgeons is needed. Prevention of secondary brain injury is poorly understood and not prioritised. This situation needs to be improved. The introduction of formalised standard referral and management sheets may help to improve care.
-
Osteopetrosis (OP) is a rare heterogeneous group of inherited skeletal dysplasias characterised by osteoclast dysfunction, impaired bone resorption and poor bone remodelling. Three groups can be categorised on the basis of clinical findings. These include neurological symptoms, haematological abnormalities and renal tubular acidosis in the first group. ⋯ Fractures in patients with OP are common and require appropriate pre-, peri- and postoperative management. The long bones are most frequently affected, fractures of the femoral neck and proximal (upper third) shaft being particularly common. This case report proposes possible operative fracture treatment in a patient with OP and highlights the potential perioperative pitfalls in this rare surgical population.
-
Review Case Reports
Situs inversus abdominalis and duodenal atresia: a case report and review of the literature.
Fewer than 20 patients born with situs inversus and duodenal atresia have been reported in the literature. We present a patient with this condition. A newborn baby presented shortly after birth with persistent bilious vomiting. ⋯ Duodenal obstruction in the presence of situs inversus has been described, including obstruction due to a web, stenosis, pre-duodenal portal vein and complete atresia. The patient presented in this paper had a duodenal web in the second part of the duodenum. Before undertaking surgery it is important to establish the presence of associated gastrointestinal and cardiac abnormalities.