The Professionalism of the Cuban Health Team in the Treatment of Occipital Encephalocele in Africa
Keywords:
encephalocele; professionalism of the Cuban healthcare team; congenital anomalies.Abstract
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Encephalocele is a protrusion of brain tissue through a defect in the skull. It is a rare condition, incompatible with life in most fetuses and generally with a poor prognosis in patients who survive this condition.
Objective: To highlight the professionalism of the Cuban healthcare team in the surgical treatment and evolution of a patient with occipital encephalocele in the Obstetrics Department of the Angondje-Libreville University Hospital in the Republic of Gabon, Africa.
Methods: A descriptive and analytical study with a qualitative-quantitative approach was conducted in 2015, using historical-logical theoretical methods, systematization, documentary analysis, and case study methods. In addition, a literature review was conducted on the subject, using articles available in the PubMed and SciELO databases and the Google Scholar search engine. Twelve bibliographic references were used in the preparation of this scientific article.
Results: A 45-day-old infant was presented, the result of a 37.5-week pregnancy, delivered by eutocic delivery, with an Apgar score of 8/10, a weight of 3040 grams, a supine length of 48 cm, and a head circumference of 27.5 cm. who presented a 2.8 cm excrescence in the occipital region. High- and low-field magnetic resonance imaging revealed a midline occipital encephalocele with a significant reduction in brain volume. Surgical repair by planes was performed without complications, and the diagnosis of neural tube defect was confirmed by pathological anatomy.
Conclusions: The professionalism of the Cuban health team in the neurosurgical treatment and evolution of a patient with occipital encephalocele in the Obstetrics Service of the Angondje-Libreville University Hospital, Republic of Gabon, in 2015, allowed for complete repair of the occipital encephalocele with good postoperative evolution.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Víctor Manuel Pérez Blanco, Gretel Victoria Pérez Abal, Héctor José Zaldívar Cabrera , Daniel Alejandro Leyva Téllez
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