Brain aneurysms are increasingly affecting young Ghanaians, prompting specialists at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to expand life-saving neurosurgical services through an international collaboration, consultant neurosurgeon Dr Hadi M Abdulla has said.

Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (16 July), Dr Abdulla said most of the patients operated on during the ongoing Ghana-UK neurovascular mission were under 30 years old.

“Most of the patients we operated on this week are very young Ghanaians, less than 30 years old,” he said.

He described the trend as concerning, noting that aneurysms are typically diagnosed at older ages in many other countries.

While the exact cause remains unclear, he said genetic and environmental factors could both be contributing.

“We all have to come together because nobody knows they have an aneurysm until it ruptures,” he said.

Dr Abdulla announced that Korle Bu would perform what he described as its first emergency aneurysm clipping during the current mission, operating on a patient within 72 hours of suffering a brain bleed.

“For me, this will probably be the highlight of this mission,” he said.

The procedure forms part of a broader collaboration between Korle Bu and Imperial College NHS Trust aimed at transferring specialist neurovascular skills to Ghanaian surgeons and strengthening local treatment capacity.

Dr Abdulla, who trained in the United Kingdom, said he initiated the partnership after recognising the need to expose Ghanaian neurosurgeons to advanced aneurysm surgery.

He expressed optimism that the programme would help establish a permanent neurovascular service capable of diagnosing and treating complex brain vascular conditions locally.