Medical team creates history in Neurosurgery at MCMH

by Christina Smith

A trailblazing neurosurgery, one of the most complex surgeries ever performed in St Vincent and the Grenadines, was successfully completed at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) on March 11, 2023.

The surgical procedure, known as cervical discectomy and stabilization, was performed on a 71-year-old and is no doubt a milestone for the country’s main secondary healthcare facility, considering that prior to 2021, any patient who required neurosurgical intervention would have to travel overseas or wait on specialists to be flown in.

The Surgical team that performed spinal repair surgery.

SEARCHLIGHT sat for an exclusive interview with Dr Olga Villalonga, a neurosurgeon with the Cuban medical brigade and Dr Jasmine Ellis-Davy, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon attached to the Neurosurgery Department to discuss the progress of the department and how they have managed to spin gold out of straw.

“We had a lot of difficult times getting a neurosurgeon here to St Vincent. It is not only expensive, for the patient and the government as a whole, and also getting them here in the adequate timing. Sometimes you have to delay care because of the absence of the neurosurgeon and also the logistics in terms of getting flights,” Dr Ellis-Davy told SEARCHLIGHT.

Dr Villalonga, who arrived in June 2021, has 12 years experience, specialises in pediatric neurosurgery, trauma and tumours. Since her arrival, the operations of the department have been improving, and to date, 55 surgical procedures including tumour removal, head injuries and hydrocephalus treatment have been completed.

The Cuban surgeon recalled her first day on the job at MCMH where she performed surgery on an infant with hydrocephalus, with the required equipment and instruments not being readily available.

“My first moment was very difficult because it wasn’t only that my specialty was very complex, but also there was no development here.”

Dr Jasmine Ellis-Davy in clinic.

Dr Ellis-Davy explained that the team had to call on support from the Chunillal Organization headed by Dr Hiren Patel, a neurosurgeon from the United States, and from the World Pediatric Project (WPP), which would step in to provide equipment for procedures involving children.

She stressed the importance of teamwork and collaboration in managing all surgical procedures.

For the trailblazing procedure done on the 71-year-old who had suffered spinal trauma, Dr Ellis-Davy said the team, including anaesthesia, radiology, the Intensive Care Unit, the Blood Bank and nursing staff spent three days discussing the case and preparing for the difficult procedure.

The process involved placement of a cage, a plate and screws to stabilize the patient’s spine where two vertebrae had been damaged and dislocated. Also, a technician had been flown in from Trinidad as the measurements and placement of the devices had to be very precise for the surgery to be successful.

Before the procedure, the patient, as the doctors explained, had suffered from limited mobility in the arms and legs, but since the completion of the procedure the patient has much improved mobility and is undergoing rehabilitative care.

Both Dr Ellis-Davy and Dr Villalonga told SEARCHLIGHT, the department has seen significant progress in the last two years and they expect that with the implementation of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine to be located at the Georgetown Modern Medical and Diagnostic Complex, care for patients who require neurological intervention will improve.

Dr OLGA Villalonga in clinic.

“In my opinion, I think it is possible to do many things in St Vincent. I hope in the next few months they have available the MRI in Georgetown and I can be sure that we can do the new diagnosis. And when you have the new diagnosis, you can do new procedures on patients. For that I need the adequate instruments and stuff to develop the neurosurgery here in SVG and the hospital,” Dr Villalonga said.

Dr Ellis-Davy added the department also needs more instruments such as implants, shunts, cervical sets and lumbar sets for surgical procedures.

She encouraged members of the public in need of neurological care to visit their family physician or district doctor for a referral to the neurosurgery department at the MCMH.