Interventional Radiology : Available at Douala General Hospital

Interventional radiology is now available at the Douala General Hospital. This was the result of a week-long campaign from 2 to 6 December, which was also an opportunity for local doctors to complete their skills after other training abroad. The campaign, organised in partnership with the FairEmbo association of Francis, has as its main objective the exchange of experience and the transfer of skills and technology in the field of interventional radiology. Interventional radiology treats a wide range of conditions inside the body by inserting various small devices, such as catheters or wires, from outside the body. Interventional radiology (IR), sometimes referred to as image-guided surgery, is the use of imaging technology (such as X-ray, CT or ultrasound) to look inside patients and perform minimally invasive procedures. The vast majority of procedures can be carried out under local anaesthetic or sedation, with only a few complex cases requiring general anaesthetic.
As Professor Vincent Vidal, who heads the FairEmbo association, explains, they were in Cameroon to ensure that local doctors mastered the technique so that they could carry out the procedure effectively and professionally. He added that all the local doctors involved had been properly trained in Francis and had come to ensure that it was done perfectly by the Cameroon team.  As of Tuesday, December 3, he said five patients had undergone the interventional radiology and all were done by Cameroonian specialists with little supervision from the French team. He added that interventional radiology (IR) is a way to diagnose and treat cancer, fibroids and other conditions without major surger...