Christopher N Ekwunife

• Federal Medical Centre, Owerri

Artificial Intelligence entails simulation of human intelligence by machines. The capacity for systems to generate big data coupled with the increasing affordable computational power has enabled progress from machine learning to deep learning. Artificial intelligence(AI) solutions could be applied in in the preoperative, intraoperative and postoper...

Background Both anastomotic leak (AL) and conduit necrosis (CN) after oesophagectomy are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the identification of preoperative, modifiable risk factors is desirable. The aim of this study was to generate a risk scoring model for AL and CN after oesophagectomy. Methods Patients undergoing curati...

Introduction: Hernia is a very common condition in all populations, and its surgical operation constitutes a major workload for physicians worldwide. Although great numbers of these procedures are done in primary and secondary care settings as well as in private hospitals and as part of surgical missions to rural areas, a significant proportion is...

Background The clinical benefits of laparoscopic appendicectomy are well recognized over open appendicectomy. However, laparoscopic procedures are not frequently conducted in many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) for several reasons, including perceived higher costs. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and cost of laparoscopi...

HCC accounts for over 90% of primary liver cancers and 7% of all cancers from all sites worldwide. In Nigeria, HCC develops at a younger age compared to the developed world and co-exists with liver cirrhosis in about 80% of cases. The prognosis is dismal because the majority of HCC patients present with advanced disease, when only symptomatic treat...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background: Pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma is increasing in incidence without appreciable decrease in overall survival despite decades of heightened research. Its mortality rate approaches its incidence rate. We report a case of carcinoma of the pancreas that had complete response from adjuvant chemotherapy. Case presentation: A 39-year old male...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index...

Background: Traumatic diaphragmatic injury (TDI) is a relatively rare condition, and there is a high tendency for it to be missed if thorough clinical assessment and imaging review are not carried out. The surgical approach for TDI can be challenging, especially with bowel perforation. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective case series o...

Foreign body ingestion is a commonly encountered clinical challenge. Most of these objects pass spontaneously, but long objects could be retained leading to uncommon complications. There seem to be no record of percutaneous extrusion of ingested spoon in literature. We report a case of 20 year old lady who swallowed a long metallic spoon. It got re...

OBJECTIVES: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a well-established endoscopic procedure that is used predominantly to create enteral access for feeding. Its use has not been widespread in Nigeria despite its efficacy. This study is done to review the early experiences in the use of PEG in Federal Medical Centre, Owerri and Carez Clinic, Ow...

Background No evidence currently exists characterising global outcomes following major cancer surgery, including esophageal cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to characterise impact of high income countries (HIC) versus low and middle income countries (LMIC) on the outcomes following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Method This international...

Background: The Oesophago-Gastric Anastomosis Audit (OGAA) is an international collaborative group set up to study anastomotic leak outcomes after oesophagectomy for cancer. This Delphi study aimed to prioritize future research areas of unmet clinical need in RCTs to reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods: A modified Delphi process was overseen by the O...

Background: Traumatic rib fracture (TRF) significantly impacts on patients and predicts mortality. We sought to identify the important causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with TRF in Nigeria. Methods: This study was a prospective observational cohort study of patients with TRF following blunt chest trauma admitted to two hospitals for 4 y...

Background Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods We did an international, m...

Background Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods We did an international,...

Background: Missile injuries occupy a large segment of injuries treated in Southeast Nigeria, accounting for a significant proportion of morbidity and mortality. However, blast injuries are uncommon in this region. This study became necessary as a result of the rising spate of violence in various parts of Nigeria, particularly in the Northeast and...

Image-guided percutaneous drainage with antimicrobial agents is the standard modality of treatment of liver abscess. Open surgical drainage, and lately laparoscopic drainage becomes useful in selected patients. Nigeria is awakening late to the laparoscopic surgery revolution. Public health institutions have started making enormous investments in mi...

Ulcerative Colitis prone to delayed diagnosis in a Nigerian population: case series Christopher N Ekwunifea, Ikechukwu G Nwekeb, Ben I Achusic, Chinelo U Ekwunifed aDepartment of Surgery, Federal Medical Centre Owerri, Nigeria bDepartment of Histopathology, Federal Medical Centre Owerri, Nigeria cDepartment of Anatomic Pathology, Federal Staff Hos...

Background: Minimal access surgery has revolutionized surgery practice. Its proven advantages, such as reduced postoperative pain, early return to unrestricted activities, and better cosmesis, have become important drivers for its rapid development. In sub-Saharan Africa this development has been slow. The aim of the current study was to describe...

Meckel's diverticulum is the commonest congenital abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract. Its infrequent occurrence is mirrored by the paucity of large series of data on it in the literature. Hemorrhage, obstruction and inflammation are the three main categories of complications resulting from Meckel's diverticulum. Perforation of Meckel's diver...

This is a case of a 21-year-old man who presented with history of abdominal pain following blunt abdominal trauma. Although the initial ultrasound scan showed mild free peritoneal fluid, the patient was managed conservatively as a probable case of splenic injury and was discharged in satisfactory condition after 6 days of admission. He presented ag...

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been the default operation for cholelithiasis at Federal Medical Centre, Owerri for the past 2 years and the outcomes have been good. The duration of post operative stay has been decreasing. We therefore initiated a preliminary 2-year prospective study in May 2010 to determine the feasibility of carrying out day cas...

Percutaneous image-guided drainage is the standard of care in the treatment of liver abscess. However this may not suffice in multi-loculated abscesses and those associated with concomitant biliary pathology. We report the case of a 34 year old male who presented to our hospital with a huge hepatic abscess that could not be aspirated percutaneously...

: Primary tumours of the omentum are quite uncommon, although it is a common site for for secondaries. : We report a case of leiomyoma of the greater omentum in a 31-year-old nulliparous woman who presented with a 2-year history of progressive abdominal distension with examination findings of massive ascites and a mobile ill-defined centrally locat...

Phyllodes tumor is one of the breast-specific biphasic tumors, arising from the intra-lobular breast stroma. It constitutes less than 1%of all breast tumors. Bilateral malignant phyllodes tumor is uncommon.We report a case of 32-year old multiparous woman who died of multi-organ metastatic disease. The diagnosis was based on histology report of the...

Aim. The literature on achalasia of the oesophagus in Nigeria is scanty. Earlier reviews from different centres in the country have all docummented both late presentation and advanced stages of the disease. It is now over two decades since the last review of this disorder in our centre. Notable changes including advent of thoracoscopic and laparosc...

To determine the demographic pattern, indications and complications associated with tube thoracostomy in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi. A 5-year review of case records of patients who underwent tube thoracostomy at NAUTH Nnewi between January 1999 and December 2003. Demographic data, clinical features, duration of draina...

This was a randomized double-blinded study to assess the need for prophylactic antibiotics in paediatric day-case surgery, as well as the cost implication. Group A received preoperative intravenous ampiclox and vitamin B complex in doses appropriate for weight and age, while group B received only vitamin B complex as a placebo. The study was comple...

Day-care surgery is strongly advocated in well-selected paediatric cases when the complications are within acceptable limits because it is very cost effective.