The Role of Neurosurgery in Global Health Cerebrovascular Surgery

Cerebrovascular diseases (CD) are a global health problem. CD are the second cause of death in developed countries, the first cause of disability in adults, and the second cause of dementia. Although neurosurgical development has been rapid and impressive in high-income settings, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have lagged behind. According to the Lancet Commission and World Bank report in 2015, there is a shortage of essential surgical care for five to six billion people worldwide. Despite the advances, the distribution and availability of cerebrovascular surgery varies greatly across the world. In an attempt to have a snapshot of the current status of cerebrovascular surgery in different nations and areas of the five continents, we have conducted an informal survey for this chapter. The challenge CD face is to develop ways as a global community to ensure that the larger majority of patients resident in LMIC regions have improved access to acceptable levels of care across the globe.