I am traveling to Dakar, Senegal, with a group consisting of a consultant, a scrub nurse, a radiologist and a registrar. We will be running a Urology training course for one week from Dakar conference centre with the aim to provide hands on training to a huge number of health care patricians within Africa. People will travel far and wide to attend the training and to learn how to efficiently remove Kidney stones via Percutaneous NephroLithotomy (PCNL) and flexible URS procedures.
Kidneys are a vital organ in our body. They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. Every day, the two kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood to produce about 1 to 2 quarts of urine, composed of wastes and extra fluid.
Percutaneous NephroLithotomy (PCNL) is the preferred technique for treating larger kidney stones (over 2cm in diameter) located within the kidney. It involves keyhole surgery that is performed through a 1cm incision in the skin. The incision that is made in the skin is much smaller and allows for quicker patient recovery and results in a safer procedure.
What many people don’t realise is that kidney stones can be caused from dehydration which is very common in third world countries where it is constantly hot and there is not enough clean water readily available. In third world countries such as Senegal, people can easily lose their Kidney function if they are not treated. If they have two kidneys shut down they can die from Kidney stones as it is the perfect environment for stone formers.
There is a lack of staff training, materials and theatres to provide the large number of patients with the care that they need to have these kidney stones efficiently removed. What we would consider a simply surgery in the western world, is far more difficult in these countries. It is also far more difficult to provide sterile safe environment to conduct a PCNL. It is key that HCP’s are trained on how to accurately diagnose a kidney stone at the early s