Craniofacial/Neurosurgery

A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Repair of Meningoencephaloceles in a Third World Country

Abstract

The repair of meningoencephaloceles in a third world country does not have to be an unrealized goal. Utilizing a team of specialized experienced physicians to provide the treatment, patient selection, comprehensive planning for all surgical variability, and cooperative management of the patients postoperatively with the hosting physicians is essential to the success of these surgeries. In 2007, a team of physicians, including a neurosurgeon, a craniofacial surgeon, a neurosurgical resident, and nursing personnel, traveled for the first time to Davao, in the Philippines, to repair and reconstruct four patients with meningoencephalocele. The planning, surgical approach, and outcome of the repair of this defect are discussed in this article.

In Brief

The authors describe the work of a multidisciplinary medical mission team who traveled to the Philippines to repair meningoencephaloceles and provide reconstructive facial surgery following the repair. Included in the report as supplemental digital content are photographs that clearly illustrate the scope of their work. Supplemental digital content is available in the article.