Mohammad Rudwan
Ibn-Sina Hospital - Kuwait

Neuroradiology was done by general neurologists until mid 1970's in the main general hospital in Kuwait Sabah Hospital). Air encephalography and contrast Myelography (with lipidol) were done until 1979. In 1979, a break through occurred in the type of services with the arrival of the first CT scan (second generation EMI scanner) in Sabah Hospital, and establishing a separate unit for neuroradiology. This was soon followed by opening up Ibn Sina Hospital for specialized surgeries (including Neurosurgery). A second generation GE CT scan and digital angiography machine was installed in 1982. This has revolutionized the services supplied by the department whose staff increased from 3 Neuroradiologists in 1979 to 5 in 1989. The first MRI was installed which remained in use until 1996, when a second one was fixed and with it, all the general hospitals in Kuwait were equipped with MRI. Over the last couple of years, interventional neuroradiology was started and the department is starting larger scale service in 6 months after installing new equipments. The annual number of cases done is roughly:

• CT: 5000-6000 cases/ yr
• MRI: 2000-2500 cases/yr
• Angio: 500-600 cases/yr
• Myelography: 600 cases/yr

Please note that the department also provides radiological services for other specialties in the hospital (like pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, transplant surgery). The head of department since its establishment is Dr. Mohammed Rudwan.

(*) from “A History of Neuroradiology (1895-2002), E.A. Cabanis and MT Iba-Zizen Editors, Paris, 2002, pages 353-354, modified (published during the XVIIth symposium Neuroradiologicum, Luc Picard, President, Paris, France, August 18-24, 2002).