Workshop to introduce functional neurosurgery

ADK Hospital has announced plans to conduct a workshop during the pre-conference of this year's Brain and Spine Conference. The workshop aims to introduce a new field of neurology in the Maldives.

The hospital said that the precursor event to the annual Brain and Spine Conference will host workshops specifically designed for doctors, nurses specializing in neurology, and other related services and affiliates.

ADK Hospital said it was targeting to introduce functional neurosurgery at this year's pre-conference workshop.

Functional neurosurgery is a specialty within neurosurgery that focuses on diseases and conditions resulting from neurochemical or electrophysiologic issues in the brain or spinal cord such as Parkinson's Disease. This specialty aims to change the chemical and electrical activity in the brain or spinal cord to improve symptoms using deep brain stimulation (DBS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS) or spinal cord stimulation.

The workshop aims to provide training and education to neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, and nurses regarding brain stimulation and brain lesioning.

Training will be provided by expert doctors from Nepal, India and the United States.

Surgeons will be given practical training on how to conduct brain lesioning as well.

ADK Hospital's resident neurosurgeon Dr. Ali Niyaf said they will be conducting a new surgery on the sidelines of the Brain and Spine Conference similar to previous years.

The surgery will be a lateral lumbar interbody fusion, which involves making an incision at the side of the waist. During the procedure, the damaged disc will be removed, and the space between the bony vertebrae will be filled with a spacer bone graft.

A team of international doctors will be overseeing and instructing the surgery while prior relevant training will be provided, said Dr. Niyaf.

The surgery comes under this year's theme for the conference; "Functional neurosurgery and minimal invasive surgery".

ADK Hospital is expected to deliver five presentations on various topics during the conference.

The conference is scheduled on October 25 and 26 with the pre-conference scheduled on October 23 and 24.

ADK Hospital initiated the Brain and Spine Conference in 2017, and it has since become the largest conference dedicated to neurology.