The values of the Cuban health team in the treatment of occipital encephalocele in Africa
Keywords:
values, occipital encephalocele; health.Abstract
Introduction: Encephalocele is a protrusion of brain contents through a bone defect in the skull. It is a rare condition, incompatible with life in most fetuses, and generally has a poor prognosis in patients who survive.
Objective: To present the professional values of the Cuban healthcare team in the surgical treatment and outcome 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 and quantitative approach was conducted in 2015, utilizing the historical-logical theoretical level, systematization, documentary analysis, and the case study method.
Results: A 45-day-old infant was presented. A high- or low-field MRI revealed a midline occipital encephalocele with a significant reduction in brain volume. Multi-layered surgical repair was performed without complications, and the diagnosis of a neural tube defect was confirmed by pathology.
Conclusions: The neurosurgical treatment and outcome of a patient with occipital encephalocele in the Republic of Gabon in 2015 highlighted the best professional practices and values that distinguish Cuban medicine, including humanism as a major value and principle of health sciences, altruism, solidarity, and humility.
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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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