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Background and Purpose:Traumatic head injury has a high mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries. Brain injury following trauma is the cause of death in about one-third of patients that die after trauma. The aim of the study was to assess the pattern of computed tomography (CT) findings in head trauma at the tertiary health institutions serving the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.Patients and Methods:The CT scans of the head of 310 consecutive patients referred specifically for evaluation of head injury were prospectively reviewed. The images acquired were analyzed by the radiologists. The radiological features and anatomical distribution of the lesions on the CT Images were assessed and documented. Patients with congenital abnormalities of the head and those whose fall or injury were secondary to stroke were excluded from the study. The Ethical Committee of our institutions gave approval for the study.Results:There were 225 (72.58%) males and 85 (27.42%) females. About 44.84% of the patients were in the third and fourth decades of life. The major causes of head injury were road traffic accidents in 67.74%, falls in 14.84%, and assaults in 7.42%. Most of the patients 102 (33.0%) presented within the 1st week of injury. Cranial fractures were found in 87 (28.06%) patients. In this series, 111 (35.81%) had normal CT findings while 199 (64.19%) had abnormal CT findings. Intra-axial lesions were the most common, constituting 131 (42.26%) cases.Conclusion:This study had demonstrated that majority of head trauma evaluated by CT were associated with cranial and brain injuries. Intra-axial injuries are more prevalent. Poor health facilities and bad road networks in addition to being risk factors for head injury also hamper the management of head-injured patients as shown by the long duration of injury before health facilities are accessed.

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Introduction: The lack of healthcare professionals and their retention in rural areas has become a serious concern to the health sector globally. Retaining health staff in rural areas has proven difficult as young professionals prefer urban postings. This study aimed to assess radiographers perception and willingness to work in rural areas of Rivers State. Method: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among radiographers in Rivers State. The participants socio-demographic variables and their responses to willingness and perception to work in rural areas were obtained and analyzed. Results: Only few 30% (n=12) of the respondents were willing to work in the rural areas of Rivers state. However, the majority of 95 %(n=38) of the respondents perceived extra payment as an incentive for them to be willing to work in the rural areas of this study location. Most 88 %(n=35) of the respondents perceived unfavorable working conditions in rural areas as a barrier to their willingness. A large proportion of 55 %( n=22) of the respondents stated that their marital status was a barrier to working in rural areas. More than half (85%, n=34) of the respondents perceived poor accommodation as a barrier to working in rural areas. The majority 88% (n=35) of the respondents stated that militant activities was a barrier to their willingness to work in the rural areas of Rivers State. There were statistically significant relationships between the evaluated respondents socio-demographic variables gender (χ2 = 48.000, p = 0.000), years of working experience (χ2 = 47.500, p = 0.000), marital status (χ2 = 84.966, p = 0.000) and age (χ2 = 76.758, p = 0.021) and their willingness to work in the rural areas of Rivers State. Conclusion: The key findings suggest that the majority of the Radiographers were not willing to work in the rural areas of Rivers State. The reasons adduced for their strong disinclination were based on their perception of unfavorable working conditions in the rural areas. Nonetheless, they were of the opinion that financial inducement could influence their willingness to work in rural areas.