World Neurosurg
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Extradural spinal meningiomas are rare. Our understanding of purely extradural spinal meningiomas is incomplete because most reports rarely differentiate purely extradural meningiomas from extradural meningiomas with an intradural component. Occasionally, reports have described involvement of the adjacent nerve root, but there has never been a description of an extradural meningioma that actually infiltrates the nerve root. ⋯ Purely extradural meningiomas are rare, and our case is one of the first to describe a patient with an extradural meningioma that actually infiltrates the nerve root. Extradural spinal meningiomas are usually not adherent to the dura, but only appear to be adherent or invade (as in our patient) the adjacent nerve root. They are easily mistaken preoperatively and grossly intraoperatively for malignant metastatic tumors and can change the proposed surgical treatment. The long-term prognosis remains uncertain, but our patient's last follow-up suggests a favorable prognosis.
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There are only three fully trained neurosurgeons to care for Tanzania's population of more than 41 million people. Madaktari was founded in 2006 to serve as a physician training partnership to establish more self-sufficient health care through education and training. Medical students play a valuable role in Madaktari as they are primarily responsible for collecting postneurosurgical outcome data on operations performed by Tanzanian physicians trained by our organization. ⋯ After working with Madaktari nearly half of the medical student volunteers have pursued or will be pursuing year-long funded global health research during their medical school careers. Madaktari is not only pioneering a path toward increased and more independent neurosurgical capabilities in Tanzania, but it is also helping foster increased interest and participation among U. S. medical students in global neurosurgery.