Abstract

Background/Purpose: This study was undertaken to determine the demographic and clinical profile of patients who presented toa young Neurosurgery service through the accident and emergency department in a tertiary hospital in south-east Nigeria.

Methods: A retrospective study of all consecutive neurosurgical patients admitted in the accident and emergency department of the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Enugu, Nigeria over the three-year period ending 31^st December, 2017. Admission records and patients’ case notes were reviewed. Data were collected on proforma sheets designed for this study and analysed with SPSS version 20.0.

Results: Of the 495 surgical patients who presented to the accident and emergency department of the hospital within the period under review, 134 were neurosurgical patients, constituting 27.07% of all surgical emergencies seen. They were predominantly male (M:F = 3.5:1), and their ages ranged from 1 to 86 years (mean 32.48 ± 19.06 years). Young patients 18 to 40 years old were the main age group affected, constituting 56% of the study population. Neuro-trauma accounted for 98.5% of cases – 118 (88.1%) for head injury and 14 (10.4%) for spine/spinal cord injury.

The month with the highest number of admissions was December, a month with increased road traffic activity by people travelling for Christmas celebrations and other end-of-year festivities.

Conclusion: Neuro-trauma remains a dominant neurosurgical emergency in Nigeria with a peak incidence in the festive month of December. Young people constitute the majority of victims, with a male preponderance. Measures targeted at reducing the incidence of road traffic crashes and consequent injuries, especially during festive periods would lessen the burden of neurosurgical emergencies.

Keywords: Head injury, Spinal cord injury, Motor vehicular crash, Festive period.