BackgroundDistribution of coronary artery calcium (CAC) has been determined in different heterogeneous populations in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Based on findings showing that geography and culture can influence CAC scoring beyond traditional race groups, we determined the distribution of CAC in a homogenous black African population to provide an initial basis for a larger CAC score study in Africa.Methods and resultsThis is a preliminary study using computed tomography to determine the CAC scores within a black African population who were referred to our center. Other information on patients were recorded through a combination of one-on-one interviews and medical records. A total of 170 patients were involved in our study, including 60.6% males, with an average age of 53.9 ± 9.2 years. The majority (78.8%) had a zero calcium score, with patients within the age group of 55–64 years dominating the non-zero calcium score population. Males were found to have higher calcium levels compared to females, and coronary artery calcification and prevalence steadily rose with the increasing age. However, P-values of 0.328 and <0.001 were observed with distribution of CAC according to gender and age, respectively.ConclusionFindings from this study showed that the distribution of CAC was markedly affected by the age of our study population, which will be more apparent in a larger study.
Uterine perforation is a rare major complication of surgical abortion which can be detected by ultrasound. In the last four decades, over 70% of case reports on uterine perforation in surgical abortions were from developing countries. Yet ultrasound was rarely used in detecting uterine perforation. This case report presents two cases of uterine perforation in surgical abortions which were detected by ultrasound prior to laparotomy. In the first case, a 34-year old woman was referred to our facility as a case of hypovolaemic shock following termination of pregnancy. An ultrasound examination performed to exclude an intra-abdominal abscess collection revealed a 1.2cm defect in the fundal region of the uterus with extrusion of abdominal contents into the endometrial cavity through the defect. In the second case, a 31-year old woman presented with a history of vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal distension and absolute constipation after undergoing an evacuation of the uterus for a spontaneous abortion at 7 weeks' gestation. Transabdominal ultrasound showed a defect of 1.4cm wide at the fundus of the uterus, with a structure extending from the abdominal cavity through the defect and into the endometrial cavity. It also showed distension of multiple bowel loops within the abdominal cavity. Sonographic detection of uterine perforation led to appropriate management in both cases. In developing countries, where the incidence of major complications of abortion is still very high, utilizing ultrasound can be helpful in detecting complications such as uterine perforation.
Objectives: To document the pattern of chest radiographic findings in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with moderate to severe disease. Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: The study site was Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) located at Bantama in Kumasi, the capital town of the Ashanti Region. It is the second largest hospital in the country and the major referral site for Ashanti region and the northern part of the country. The hospital hosts a highly infectious isolation unit (HIIU) for COVID19 patients with moderate to severe infections and receives referred cases from the region and within the hospital. Participants: The study involved 27 patients admitted to the HIIU at KATH with COVID-19 infection who underwent chest X-ray as part of their investigations. Results: The study enrolled 12 males and 15 females. The common comorbidities were hypertension and diabetes. Chest x-ray findings in most of the patients (81.5%) revealed ground-glass opacities while a few of them (18.5%) had lung consolidations without ground-glass opacities. For those with ground-glass opacities, eight (29.6%) had superimposed consolidation. All the participants had positive chest x-ray findings. Conclusion: The chest x-ray findings in the 27 COVID-19 positive patients with moderate to severe disease on admission at the KATH HIIU enrolled in this study showed significant pulmonary abnormalities. The predominant pulmonary abnormalities were bilateral peripheral ground-glass opacities with the lower lung zones being mostly affected.
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