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Objective: Spinal pathologies are prevalent in Nigeria, though epidemiological data remains sparse. This systematic review used pooled patient-level data from across the country to generate a standardized epidemiological reference., Methods: Four research databases and gray literature sources were searched. Risk of bias assessment was conducted using Risk of Bias in Non-Randomised Studies - of Interventions and Cochrane's risk of bias tool. We descriptively analyzed all article metrics and statistically analyzed relevant data variables via paired t-test and χ 2 independence tests (α = 0.05)., Results: One hundred twenty-seven articles, comprising a patient cohort of 8425 patients, were analyzed. Most were retrospective cohort studies (46.5%) and case reports/series (31.5%), with an overall moderate-high risk of bias. Most studies were published in the last 20 years. Most patients were male (∼2.5 males per female), with an average age of 43.2 years (±16.4). Clinical diagnoses spanned the breadth of spinal neurosurgery. Approximately 45.0% of patients had complete spinal impairment. Pain (41.7%) was the most reported presenting feature. X-ray (45.1%) was the most common investigation used. Intervertebral disc herniation (18.9%) was the most prevalent imaging finding on MRI. Most patients were managed nonoperatively (57.8%), with a favorable outcome in 27.4% of patients. Posttreatment complications included pressure sores, infection, and motor deficits., Conclusions: This systematic review and pooled analysis provide an epidemiological overview of spinal neurosurgery in Nigeria over the last 60 years and serves as a useful reference to direct future global research in this arena., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Access to neuro-oncologic care in Nigeria has grown exponentially since the first reported cases in the mid-1960s. In this systematic review and pooled analysis, we characterize the growth of neurosurgical oncology in Nigeria and build a reference paper to direct efforts to expand this field., Methods: We performed an initial literature search of several article databases and gray literature sources. We included and subsequently screened articles published between 1962 and 2021. Several variables were extracted from each study, including the affiliated hospital, the number of patients treated, patient sex, tumor pathology, the types of imaging modalities used for diagnosis, and the interventions used for each individual. Change in these variables was assessed using Chi-squared independence tests and univariate linear regression when appropriate., Results: A total of 147 studies were identified, corresponding to 5,760 patients. Over 4000 cases were reported in the past 2 decades from 21 different Nigerian institutions. The types of tumors reported have increased over time, with increasingly more patients being evaluated via computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). There is also a prevalent use of radiotherapy, though chemotherapy remains an underreported treatment modality., Conclusions: This study highlights key trends regarding the prevalence and management of neuro-oncologic pathologies within Nigeria. Further studies are needed to continue to learn and guide the future growth of this field in Nigeria., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Despite 6 decades of existence, neurosurgery is still in the developing stages in Nigeria. In this era of collaborative health system capacity-building in low- and middle-income countries, this article reviews past efforts and future prospects for collaborative neurosurgical development in Nigeria., Methods: A bibliometric review of the Nigerian neurosurgical literature and data from a structured survey of Nigerian neurosurgeons and residents provided details of current local and international collaborations for neurosurgical research, service delivery, training, and capacity building. These were analyzed to provide an overview of the role of collaborations in sustainable neurosurgical development in Nigeria and to recommend approaches to enhance neurosurgical capacity., Results: In 1023 peer-reviewed neurosurgery publications from Nigeria, there were 4618 authors with 3688 from 98 Nigerian institutions and 930 from 296 foreign institutions in 70 countries. While there were significant research collaborations amongst Nigerian institutions, the most common were with institutions in the US, United Kingdom, and Cameroon. From the survey, 62 of 149 respondents (41.6%) from 32 health facilities noted their institution's involvement in capacity-building neurosurgical collaborations. These collaborations involved 22 Nigerian institutions and 13 foreign institutions in 9 countries and were mostly for training and workforce development (78.1%), and research and data management (59.4%). The majority of foreign institutions were from the US and United Kingdom., Conclusions: Current and previous neurosurgical collaborations have led to sustainable progress in Nigeria. Further local, regional, and international collaborations would enhance the capacity to address the needs and challenges affecting neurosurgery in Nigeria., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: There has been a modest but progressive increase in the neurosurgical workforce, training, and service delivery in Nigeria in the last 2 decades. However, these resources are unevenly distributed. This study aimed to quantitatively assess the availability and distribution of neurosurgical resources in Nigeria while projecting the needed workforce capacity up to 2050., Methods: An online survey of Nigerian neurosurgeons and residents assessed the country's neurosurgical infrastructure, workforce, and resources. The results were analyzed descriptively, and geospatial analysis was used to map their distribution. A projection model was fitted to predict workforce targets for 2022-2050., Results: Out of 86 neurosurgery-capable health facilities, 65.1% were public hospitals, with only 17.4% accredited for residency training. Dedicated hospital beds and operating rooms for neurosurgery make up only 4.0% and 15.4% of the total, respectively. The population disease burden is estimated at 50.2 per 100,000, while the operative coverage was 153.2 cases per neurosurgeon. There are currently 132 neurosurgeons and 114 neurosurgery residents for a population of 218 million (ratio 1:1.65 million). There is an annual growth rate of 8.3%, resulting in a projected deficit of 1113 neurosurgeons by 2030 and 1104 by 2050. Timely access to neurosurgical care ranges from 21.6% to 86.7% of the population within different timeframes., Conclusions: Collaborative interventions are needed to address gaps in Nigeria's neurosurgical capacity. Investments in training, infrastructure, and funding are necessary for sustainable development and optimized outcomes., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of pediatric neurosurgery in Nigeria, since 1962, by assessing epidemiological data, management strategies, and case outcomes., Methods: A systematic bibliometric review of Nigerian neurosurgical literature was reported with the PRISMA guidelines. The Risk of Bias Assessment Tool was applied to all nonrandomized studies, and a descriptive analysis was performed for all variables., Results: We identified 12,295 pediatric patients from 196 published studies. Most publications (72.4%) occurred in the recent 2 decades, of which 40.3% were observational case reports/series. The patients were predominantly male (57.2%) and aged 0-18 years, with the majority (66.1%) belonging to the 0-5 age range. Most patients (63.4%) presented between 1-12 months. The most common presenting feature was altered consciousness (7.7%), with computed tomography (38.8%) being the most frequently utilized diagnostic imaging modality. The diagnoses with the greatest prevalence (60.2%) were congenital abnormalities such as hydrocephalus and neural tube defects. 57.5% of cases received surgical therapy, with ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement being the most noticeable procedure performed (36.4%). Complications were identified in 9.5% of cases, with a 4.5% death rate. The Glasgow Outcome Score (95.7%) was the primary outcome measure utilized, with positive outcomes reported in 59.3% of cases., Conclusions: This review provides significant epidemiological data which emphasizes the country's enormous burden of pediatric neurosurgical cases. The findings can help guide clinical decisions as well as future research and policy development., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Like many low- and-middle-income countries in Africa, documented assessment of the neurosurgical workforce, equipment, infrastructure, and scope of service delivery in Nigeria is lacking. This study aimed to assess the capacity for the delivery of neurosurgical services in Nigeria., Methods: An 83-question survey was disseminated to neurosurgeons and residents in Nigeria. We report the findings from the capacity assessment section of the survey, which used the modified neurological-PIPES (personnel, infrastructure, procedures, equipment, and supplies) (MN-PIPES) tool to evaluate the availability of neurosurgical personnel, infrastructure, procedures, equipment, and supplies. A comparative analysis was done using the domain and total MN-PIPES scores and MN-PIPES index., Results: The national average MN-PIPES score and index were 176.4 and 9.8, respectively. Overall, the southwest and northwest regions had the highest scores and frequently had high subscores. The survey respondents reported that the main challenges impeding neurosurgery service delivery were a lack of adjunctive supplies (75.2%), a dearth of diagnostic and interventional equipment (72.4%), and an absence of a dedicated intensive care unit (72.4%)., Conclusions: The availability of workforce, infrastructure, equipment, and supplies needed to provide optimal neurosurgical care is uneven in many institutions in Nigeria. Although major strides have been made in recent years, targeted collaborative interventions at local, national, regional, and international levels will further improve neurosurgical service delivery in Nigeria and will have positive ripple effects on the rest of the healthcare system., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Despite the well-known neurosurgical workforce deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa, there remains a low number of neurosurgical training programs in Nigeria. This study sought to reassess the current status of specialist neurosurgical training in the country., Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to all consultant neurosurgeons and neurosurgery residents in Nigeria. Demographic information and questions relating to the content, process, strengths, and challenges of neurosurgical training were explored as part of a broader survey assessing neurosurgical capacity. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis., Results: Respondents identified 15 neurosurgical training centers in Nigeria. All 15 are accredited by the West African College of Surgeons, and 6 by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. The average duration of core neurosurgical training was 5 years. Some identified strengths of Nigerian neurosurgical training included learning opportunities provided to residents, recent growth in the neurosurgical training capacity, and satisfaction with training. Challenges included a continued low number of training programs compared to the population density, lack of subspecialty training programs, and inadequate training infrastructure., Conclusions: Despite the high number of neurosurgery training centers in Nigeria, compared to other West African countries, the programs are still limited in number and capacity. Although this study shows apparent trainee satisfaction with the training process and contents, multiple challenges exist. Efforts at improving training capacity should focus on continuing the development and expansion of current programs, commencing subspecialty training, driving health insurance to improve funding, and increasing available infrastructure for training., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Neurotrauma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. We conducted this systematic review to generate nationally generalizable reference data for the country., Methods: Four research databases and gray literature sources were electronically searched. Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions and Cochrane's risk of bias tools. Descriptive analysis, narrative synthesis, and statistical analysis (via paired t-tests and χ 2 independence tests) were performed on relevant article metrics (α = 0.05)., Results: We identified a cohort of 45,763 patients from 254 articles. The overall risk of bias was moderate to high. Most articles employed retrospective cohort study designs (37.4%) and were published during the last 2 decades (81.89%). The cohort's average age was 32.5 years (standard deviation, 20.2) with a gender split of ∼3 males per female. Almost 90% of subjects were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, with road traffic accidents (68.6%) being the greatest cause. Altered consciousness (48.4%) was the most commonly reported clinical feature. Computed tomography (53.5%) was the most commonly used imaging modality, with skull (25.7%) and vertebral fracture (14.1%) being the most common radiological findings for traumatic brain injury and traumatic spinal injury, respectively. Two-thirds of patients were treated nonoperatively. Outcomes were favorable in 63.7% of traumatic brain injury patients, but in only 20.9% of traumatic spinal injury patients. Pressure sores, infection, and motor deficits were the most commonly reported complications in the latter., Conclusions: This systematic review and pooled analysis demonstrate the significant burden of neurotrauma across Nigeria., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)