4 research outputs found
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Incidental ultrasound finding of cholelithiasis in an 8-week-old infant: A case report
Infantile cholelithiasis is a rare occurrence. It is often diagnosed incidentally during ultrasonography for other conditions as most cases are asymptomatic and may be self-limiting. A few cases may however present with prolonged neonatal or infantile jaundice. We report our initial experience with an incidental case of infantile cholelithiasis in an 8-week-old male infant who was brought to our ultrasound unit in Accra, Ghana, for an abdominal ultrasound on account of conjugated hyperbilirubinemia and pigmented stools. The patient had presented initially at the children's emergency unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, 2 days after an uneventful delivery, with a history of yellowing of the eyes, noticed on the first day of life, which necessitated the request for the ultrasound examination, leading to this rare finding of infantile cholelithiasis. The availability and use of modern sonographic equipment are likely to result in more effective detection of this incidental finding and its subsequent management
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The spectrum of computed tomography calcium scoring values of individuals testing for coronary artery disease in Accra: a study from a peripheral private clinic in Southern Ghana
Background: Coronary artery disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Most people with coronary artery disease are asymptomatic, making its early detection with coronary artery calcium scoring using multidetector computed tomography an important aspect of its management.
Objective: Our study aimed to describe the spectrum of computed tomography findings (such as the absolute coronary artery calcium scores and coronary artery risk percentiles) and associated risk factors of 325 patients evaluated for coronary artery disease in Accra.
Methods: The study was a retrospective study involving retrieving electronically stored coronary artery calcium score reports for 325 patients reported by two radiologists. The patients had been referred for coronary artery calcium scoring from January 2020 to December 2021. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23.
Results: There were 62.2% (n = 202) males and 37.8% ( n = 123) females. Of the total number, 44.6% (n = 145) had a normal coronary artery calcium score of 0, while 55.4% (n = 180) had values ranging from 1 to 2,690 (mean 109.0 ± 325.4). The most prevalent modifiable risk factor for coronary artery disease recorded for individuals with coronary artery calcium score above 0 was an abnormality of weight (overweight and obesity). A significant relationship was observed between coronary artery calcium scoring and age (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: Our study showed that more than half of the participants had coronary artery calcification; abnormalities of weight followed by hypertension were the two commonest risk factors for CAD in Accra, and CAD occurred in individuals as young as 30 to 39 years old
Audit of the appropriateness of the indication for obstetric sonography in a tertiary facility in Ghana
Introduction: the use of ultrasound is one of the most vital tools in the management of pregnancies and contributes significantly in improving maternal and child health. Certain indications in pregnancy, guide the obstetrician as to which obstetric scan deems appropriate. The full realization of the benefits of ultrasound depends on whether it is being used appropriately or not, and hence this study aimed at auditing for the appropriate indications for obstetric ultrasound.
Methods: a review of all request forms for obstetric scan between June 2019 and July 2020 was performed to assess the appropriateness of requests for obstetric ultrasound at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL version 20.0). A Chi-squared test of independence was used to check for statistically significant differences between variables at p ≤ 0.05.
Results: three hundred and fourteen (314) out of the 527 request forms had clinical indications stated. 174 (81.7%) of requests from Cape Coast Teaching Hospital and 39 (18.3%) from other health centers did not indicate patients clinical history/indication on the request forms. Majority 76 (68.5%) of scans in the first trimester were done without indications/history. Only 29 of requests with clinical history were inappropriate.
Conclusion: practitioners should be mindful of adequately completing request forms for obstetric investigations since e a large number of practitioners do not state the history/indications for the scans. There should be continuous medical education on the importance of appropriate indication for obstetric ultrasound