ABSTRACT
The novel human coronavirus (COVID-19) began in Wuhan China as an interstitial pneumonia of unidentifiable origin in December 2019 and thereafter spread its tentacles all over the world.There is a need for radiology departments in both government and private facilities to be prepared to meet this crisis. Their efforts should be geared not only toward diagnosis, but also to preventing patient-to-patient, staff-to-patient, and staff-to-staff transmission of infection by utilizing social distancing measures and personal protective equipment (PPE).Aim: To evaluate the preparedness of radiologic departments of government hospitals and private centers, by assessing the outlay of the facility and likelihood to attend to COVID patients, type of equipment in the centers, and plans in place for protection of staff and the public.Materials and Methods: The radiology departments of government and private facilities in each geopolitical zone of the country were randomly selected to discuss radiology preparedness in Nigeria using preset guidelines which were sent to radiologists at the facilities. Written informed consent was obtained from the radiologists at the participating centers. Ethical approval was also obtained from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Health Research Ethics Committee.Results: A total of twelve centers were included in the study, comprising eight government and four private centers. All had plans in place to attend to COVID patients; majority were in the process of developing standard operating procedures (SOPs). Majority of the government facilities lacked mobile equipment and adequate PPEs, with only one computed tomography machine and no holding area in some of the facilities for symptomatic patients unlike the private facilities. They, however, had infection control teams in place.Conclusion: Private radiological centers appear better prepared and more equipped to cope with the crisis than government hospitals. Adequate PPEs, mobile equipment, and isolation rooms need to be provided for the government facilities. Radiology information systems should be installed for remote viewing. Training and retraining on COVID management and decontamination should be conducted periodically. SOPs should be drafted universally and modified for each facility
Subject(s)
Nigeria , Personal Protective Equipment , Disaster Preparedness , Radiology , Surgical Procedures, OperativeABSTRACT
Background: The optic nerve covering is elastic enough to allow a detectable enlargement in response to changes in intracranial pressure. The objective of the present study was to determine the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in normal Nigerian adults. Methods: This study was conducted on 400 healthy adults. The ONSD was measured at 3 mm posterior to the globe using a 7.5 MHz linear transducer. Results: The study population consisted of 192 males and 208 females with mean age of 36.94 years (SD 16.63). The range of values for ONSD was 3.36 to 5.1 mm. The median right ONSD was 4.110 with a range of 3.36–4.86 mm (mean: 4.18 mm (SD 0.49)), while the median left ONSD was 4.35 mm with a range of 3.77−5.10 mm (mean: 4.17 + mm (SD 0.44)). No statistically significant variation in ONSD was found between the right and left sides (P = 0.12) and also between male and female participants (P = 0.296 and 0.745 for the respective right and left ONSD). Conclusions: The normal reference values of ONSD measurements in adults were obtained. It showed no significant correlation with side (right and left), age, and sex. Furthermore, there is no significant correlation of ONSD with the body height and weight.