Our team of volunteers representing Fundación Clavel is still hard at work in Ethiopia! Over the past few days they have been able to dedicate a lot of time to training the local medical team in neurosurgery skills. 

Our knowledge sharing efforts are focused on building skills in various specialties. Our team member Dr. MacVeigh, our nurse Lara González and Dr. Xavier M. works with the local neurosurgeons.  

During these days they have also been able to care for and operate on several patients. Dr. Xavier Màlaga performed a lumbar arthrodesis on a patient with spondylolisthesis. This injury occurs when one vertebra slides across the adjacent vertebra, causing local pain, weakness in the legs, tension in the muscles and, depending on the severity, pressure in the medulla or nerves.  

Dr. MacVeigh performed an anesthetic infiltration on a patient who at first was thought to have some type of nerve involvement in the cervical spine, but after examination it was determined that the problem was in his shoulder so surgery was not needed.

The team also operated on several babies suffering from myelomeningocele (the most serious type of spina bifida). This pathology unfortunately occurs when the mother suffers from insufficient nutrition, especially a lack of folic acid, causing neural tube defects in the fetus, and as a result the spine and spinal cord do not form correctly.

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