Baku, Azerbaijan: A letter from Dr. Elchin Jabrayilbayov, Neurosurgical Center of the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan Republic

I will try to throw some light upon the achievements and current situation in my hospital - the only Neurosurgical Center in Azerbaijan. There are 250 beds and a 10 bed ICU in the hospital. The Chief of the Hospital is Dr.Gasanov. He and 25 colleagues perform more than 1000 neurosurgical procedures annually, carry out consultations in other clinics of Baku, and visit patients of other regions by sanitary aviation. CT and MRI examinations are routine examinations before operations. Use of magnifying glass and bipolar coagulation allows us to perform nearly all kinds of up-to-date neurosurgical procedures.

The department of neurosurgery of the Medical University is also located in this hospital. The chief of the department is also Dr.Gasanov. The group includes 7 neurosurgeons, all of whom took postgraduated trainings in Moscow and Kiev Neurosurgical Institutes.

Over the past ten years it has become difficult to maintain the neurosurgical service at least at the same level. Unfortunately the progress, which must be necessary, is now out of our reach. For example, the supplies of Yasargil's aneurysm clips have come to end recently and we are obliged to postpone the aneurysm surgery until we get the clips from Moscow workshop. Serial angiography, transcranial doppler & operative microscope is necessary too for successfull performing of EICMA procedures. We haven't shunt equipment and a great deal of other less specific tools. As a result of these conditions, removing of lumbar disc herniation forms the most part of the operations performed annually.

On the other hand, we have great experience and results in aneurysms surgery including basilar artery aneurysms, in neurinomas of the VIII nerve and skull base surgery. Our experience in complete removing of echinococcal cysts of the brain and spinal cord is evidently unique.

Baku is a very nice city with about 3 000 000 people. It is situated at the beautiful seaside. The inhabitants are very handsome, kind, hospitable and poor. So our problems seem to be common for many countries that have programs with Neurosurgery International.

At the end of my letter I once again confirm my willingness to add to the efforts of Neurosurgery International's activity. As we know, neurosurgery is one of the fast developing fields of the modern medicine. So I am totally convinced that neurosurgeons worldwide should be in permanent contact with each other with the aim to bring their everyday practice to the highest possible level. It is great that NSI takes a real opportunity for the neurosurgeons from developing countries to discuss their challenging cases with colleagues via Internet. I wish you and your colleagues great success in all your affairs.