NEUROSURGERY IN VIETNAM

BACKGROUND The development and current state of Vietnamese neurosurger y is presented, in order to highlight the difficulties faced by neuros urgeons in Vietnam and other developing countries. METHODS Information has been collected personally by the authors in Vietnam. RESULTS The conditions of neurosurgery endured by our neurosurgical colleagues in Vietnam are far inferior to those in the developed would, particularly in terms of training, educational aids, investigative and operating r oom equipment, and postoperative and rehabilitative care. CONCLUSIONS The recent formation of the Neurosurgical Society of Vietnam will help to improve these conditions, but help and encouragement from neurosur geons in the developed world will also be of much value. The instigati on of preventive strategies will likely make a significant impact on t he health costs of neurotrauma in Vietnam. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Scienc e Inc.