Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Radiology among Physicians in a Tertiary Hospital in North-Central Nigeria

Objective:To assess physicians’ knowledge, attitude and practice of radiology.Materials and Methods:Cross-sectional study utilizing an anonymous questionnaire responded to by physicians, divided into parts as follows: one with questions about the physicians’ knowledge of imaging modalities, availability of the modalities at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), modalities with ionizing radiation, radiologist reports and way forward in improving services at radiology department.Results: A total of 123 physicians participated in the study. Majority of the physicians (65.0%) were males. Male to female ratio was nearly 2:1. Concerning the impression about radiology, the study showed that 101(82.1%) like radiology as a specialty. There was however poor knowledge about the risks and hazards associated with radiological imaging modalities.Conclusion:The non-radiologist physicians’ knowledge is heterogeneous and, in some aspects, needs to be improved. Multidisciplinary clinical meetings and teaching activities are important ways to disseminate information on the subject

Determination of Relationship between Thyroid Gland Volume and Anthropometric Indices

Objective: To sonographically determine the thyroid gland volume in normal adults in Jos University Teaching Hospital, as well as how it relates to anthropometric factors. Background:The thyroid gland is one of the largest endocrine glandsin the body weighing about 10-25g. It regulates the rate of metabolismand controls the growth and rate of function of many other systems in the body. These it does, by producing thyroid hormones, principally thyroxine(T4) and triiodothyronine(T3). The accurate estimation of the size of the thyroid is very important for the evaluation and management of thyroid disorders. Thus, knowing the normal size in a geographic location would form a baseline for detecting abnormalities. Ultrasonography is a cheap, readily available, easy to perform and non-invasive method to image the thyroid gland, hence its use in this resource-limited setting.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of sonographic measurement of thyroid gland volume on 400 normal (healthy) adults in Jos, Plateau State, Northern part of Nigeria. All examinations were performed using LOGIC 5, a real-time ultrasound machine using a 10MHZ linear transducer and ultrasound transmission gel to act as a coupling gel. Measurements of each lobe and isthmus were obtained in longitudinal (length), transverse (width) and depth(breath) in centimetres (cm). Blood samples were taken for thyroid function tests. The weight and heights were obtained. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using SPSS software version 17. The results were presented in forms of tables, graphs and chart.Results:The mean thyroid volume for males 6.03cm3±2.22 was higher than that of females 5.62cm3±2.14. The mean right lobe volume (RLV) was 3.09cm3±1.47 and that of males and females were 3.16cm3 ±1.34 and 3.04cm3 ±1.55 respectively. The mean left lobe volume (LLV) was 2.69cm3 ± 1.37 and that of males and females were2.89cm3±1.32 and 2.57cm3±1.39 respectively. The right lobe volume was significantly greater than the left lobe(p=0.000).The total mean isthmus volume was 0.27cm3±0.31. The mean isthmus volume in males 0.3±0.28 is significantly higher than that of females 0.24±0.23(p=0.025). The BMI increases in females with increasing age. BMI and BSA are higher in males.Conclusion:The volume obtained in this study was slightly lower than those reported by previous studies in Nigerian adults. The right lobe volume was higher than that of the left and the volume was higher in males compared to females. Anthropometric parameters were noted to affect the thyroid volume