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Background The field of vascular surgery is evolving in sub-Saharan Africa but the practice is bedeviled by lack of expertise and infrastructure challenges. The consequences are a low volume of operations and a dearth of data. Available data are not representative of the wider picture, therefore, this study was undertaken to evaluate the practice of vascular surgery in a tertiary institution, in the light of the prevailing challenges.Methods Data from all patients with vascular-related pathologies managed in our surgical outpatient clinic and accident and emergency wards were obtained from the clinic and in-patient records from January 2008 to December 2012. Age, sex, diagnosis, treatment, and complications were noted. There were 73 patients comprising 45 (61.6%) males and 28 (38.4%) females. The age range was 1–90 years (mean 43.5 years).Results The pathologies managed included end-stage renal disease (n?=?36, 49.3%), nontraumatic and posttraumatic aneurysms (n?=?13, 17.8%), vascular trauma (n?=?12, 16.4%), peripheral vascular disease (n?=?5, 6.9%), congenital vascular malformations (n?=?4, 5.5%), and thrombotic diseases (n?=?3, 4.1%). Fifty-four (74.0%) surgeries were performed, with a complication rate of 5.5% and 2.7% mortality.Conclusions The practice of vascular surgery in Zaria, Nigeria, is fraught with challenges. The gap created by the dearth of skilled vascular surgeons is filled by competent cardiothoracic surgeons. Infrastructure decay and lack of prostheses limit the number and variety of operable cases. These challenges result in preventable morbidity and mortality. more...

Hyperplastic polyps of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction are uncommon lesions which are characterized by hyperplastic epithelium (foveolar type, squamous or both) with variable amount of inflammed stroma. Hyperplastic polyps develop mostly in patients with hiatus hernia and or with reflux esophagitis. This case study reports a 34-year-old male with hyperplastic polyps of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction with constriction from reflux esophagitis. His main complain was dysphagia for solid foods, then to liquid foods for two months duration. He also had significant loss of weight. Grossly a dark brown tubular structure was received with multiple sessile polyps. Microscopically, the lesion was characterized by hyperplastic squamous epithelium with areas showing cores of connective tissue which is inflammed and infiltrated by lymphoplasma cells including eosinophils. The area of esophageal constriction shows fibrosis and chronic inflammation only. more...