COVID-19: Challenges and coping strategies in radiology departments in Nigeria.

Context: COVID-19 came suddenly, bringing to the fore the challenges inherent in the health system. In a developing country, such as Nigeria, which already had myriad problems with funds and equipment in the health sector. Aims: This study aims to examine the challenges encountered by the staff in Radiology facilities and how they combated the challenges. Settings and Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study of radiology facilities in Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: Radiologists from nine government and four private facilities who attended to COVID-19 patients were asked to fill questionnaires on challenges faced and their coping strategies. Responses were sent through E-mail. Statistical Analysis Used: Data from the responses were analyzed using Microsoft excel for Mac 2011 and presented as figures and tables. Results: Majority of the government 7 (77.8%) and private facilities 4 (100%) had no equipment dedicated only to COVID-19 patients. Seven (77.8%) government facilities complained of inadequate staff, poor availability of personal protective equipment (PPEs) 8 (88.9%), and lack of technology for remote viewing 7 (77.8%). Fear of cross-infection was a challenge in one of the facilities 1 (11.1%). Coping strategies adopted include ensuring less traffic in the department by discouraging walk-in patients and canceling non-emergent cases, booking suspected/confirmed cases for lighter times, using old film for face shields and cloth for facemasks, staff education on COVID-19 and preventive measures, and sending reports to physicians through E-mail. Conclusions: There were a lot of challenges during the COVID-19 crisis, with government hospitals experiencing more challenges than private facilities. The challenges included among others inadequate staff strength and lack of technology for remote viewing. Some were overcome using education and by production of facemasks/shields production using recycled materials.

RésuméLe contexte: COVID-19 came suddenly, bringing to the fore the challenges inherent in the health system. Dans un pays en développement, comme Le Nigeria, qui avait déjà une myriade de problèmes de fonds et d'équipements dans le secteur de la santé. Objectifs : Cette étude vise à examiner les défis rencontrés par le personnel des établissements de radiologie et comment ils ont relevé les défis. Paramètres et conception: une section descriptive étude des installations de radiologie au Nigeria. Sujets et méthodes: Radiologues de neuf établissements publics et de quatre établissements privés qui ont participé aux patients COVID-19 ont été invités à remplir des questionnaires sur les défis rencontrés et leurs stratégies d'adaptation. Les réponses ont été envoyées par courrier électronique. Analyse statistique utilisée: Les données des réponses ont été analysées à l'aide de Microsoft Excel pour Mac 2011 et présentées sous forme de figures et de tableaux. Résultats: La majorité des établissements publics 7 (77,8 %) et privés 4 (100 %) ne disposaient d'aucun équipement dédié uniquement aux patients COVID-19. Sept (77,8 %) établissements publics se sont plaints d'un personnel inadéquat, d'une faible disponibilité des équipements de protection individuelle (EPI) 8 (88,9 %), et le manque de technologie pour la visualisation à distance 7 (77,8 %). La peur d'une infection croisée était un défi dans l'un des établissements 1 (11,1 %). Faire faceles stratégies adoptées comprennent la réduction de la circulation dans le service en décourageant les patients sans rendez-vous et en annulant les cas non urgents, en réservant les cas suspects/confirmés pour des périodes plus légères, en utilisant un vieux film pour les écrans faciaux et un tissu pour les masques faciaux, la formation du personnel sur COVID-19 et mesures préventives et l'envoi de rapports aux médecins par courrier électronique. Conclusions: Il y a eu beaucoup de défis pendant la COVID-19 crise, les hôpitaux publics étant confrontés à plus de défis que les établissements privés. Les défis comprenaient entre autres l'insuffisance la force du personnel et le manque de technologie pour la visualisation à distance. Certains ont été surmontés grâce à l'éducation et à la production de masques faciaux/boucliers utilisant des matériaux recyclés. Mots-clés: défis, les stratégies d'adaptation, COVID-19, Nigeria.

Transorbital sonographic measurement of normal optic sheath nerve diameter in nigerian adult population.

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). CONCLUSION: 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.

Quadrigeminal plate cistern lipoma.

Intracranial lipomas are rare benign neoplasms accounting for <0.1% of all primary brain tumours. Most lipomas were incidentally detected by autopsy or computed tomography (CT).These slow growing benign lesions are usually asymptomatic and rarely require surgery. We report the case of a 70-year-old Nigerian woman who presented with persistent headaches following involvement in a road traffic accident 20 days previously. CT demonstrated a quadrigeminal cistern lipoma with no evidence of raised intracranial pressure or compression of neural structures. Her headaches resolved with conservative care. We describe the CT findings with a brief review of the literature.