A 5-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW OF OPERATED CASES OF CONGENITAL ENCEPHALOCELE IN THE REGIONAL CENTRE FOR NEUROSURGERY, SOKOTO

Abstract

A retrospective five-year study conducted at a teaching hospital in Sokoto between 2017 and 2022 reviewed 30 cases of Encephalocoele repairs, revealing a female predominance (7:3) and a mean presentation age of approximately 1.4 months. The majority of lesions were located in the occipital region (70%), with 40% of cases classified as giant encephaloceles and 50% of the total cohort developing hydrocephalus—a complication significantly associated with larger lesion sizes (p=0.008). Maternal factors highlighted a lack of prenatal care in 53.3% of cases and high parity (Para 6+) in 43% of mothers, while clinical outcomes showed that half of the patients were successfully monitored for a year with good results, despite a 10% mortality rate and a 40% lossto follow-up.