By Amina Abdul Salam CAIRO, April 2, 2018 - The 41st conference of the Egyptian Society for Neurological Surgeons (ESNS) was held recently in Cairo, in collaboration with the Continental Association of African Neurological Societies (CAANS) and the German Neurosurgical Society (GNS). It was attended by representatives from 23 countries. The conference was inaugurated by Amr Moussa, the former foreign minister. Addressing the conference, he said that local, regional and international neurological associations should exert every effort to improve health services in the African continent and to train African physicians. He noted that there was just one neurologist to every two million people in Africa, compared to the global rate which is one neurologist for every 250,000 citizens. Dr Ahmed Salah Kamel, Neurosurgery Consultant, presented his research in neck cartilage surgery and pain surgery. He noted that he had conducted the most important research with the collaboration of Dr Mohamed Bassuni, a fellow Neurosurgery Consultant. They had studied the use of Baclofen Pumps to treat patients with musculoskeletal disorders. This surgical procedure has given incurable cases the hope of successful treatment. Dr Bassuni said "Baclofen is used to help relax certain muscles in your body. It relieves the spasms, cramping and tightness of muscles caused by medical problems such as multiple sclerosis or certain injuries to the spine. Baclofen acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to produce its muscle relaxant effects." He added "The expense of the treatment is a major obstacle to using the pump procedure, which should be administered in cases which have not responded to the traditional therapy of medication and rehabilitation.
