Lynn McGrath, MD, a neurosurgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian in New York City, has performed the first endoscopic spine surgery in Tanzania.
Dr. McGrath performed the procedure at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute as part of a training course for neurosurgeons in the area, according to an April 4 email sent to Becker's.
Endoscopic surgery allows surgeons to repair herniated discs, spinal stenosis and other spine conditions with incisions barely an inch long, often letting patients walk out of the hospital the same day.
Cornell has been serving patients and training surgeons in Tanzania since 2008, when it launched its Tanzanian neurosurgery program in partnership with Bugando Hospital in northern Tanzania.