Interest of Chest CT to Assess the Prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia: An In-Hospital-Based Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: We included all patients with respiratory symptoms (dyspnea, fever, and cough) and/or respiratory failure admitted to the SOS Médecins de nuit SARL hospital, DR Congo, during the 2nd and 3rd waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was established based on RT-PCR anti-SARS-CoV-2 tests (G1 (RT-PCR positive) vs. G2 (RT-PCR negative)), and all patients had a chest CT on the day of admission. We retrieved the digital files of patients, precisely the clinical, biological, and chest CT parameters of the day of admission as well as the vital outcome (survival or death). Chest CT were read by a very high-definition console using Advantage Windows software and exported to the hospital network using the RadiAnt DICOM viewer. To determine the threshold for the percentage of lung lesions associated with all-cause mortality, we used ROC curves. Factors associated with death, including chest CT parameters, were investigated using logistic regression analysis. Results: The study included 200 patients (average age 56.2 ± 15.2 years; 19% diabetics and 4.5% obese), and COVID-19 was confirmed among 56% of them (G1). Chest CT showed that ground glass (72.3 vs. 39.8%), crazy paving (69.6 vs. 17.0%), and consolidation (83.9 vs. 22.7%), with bilateral and peripheral locations (68.8 vs. 30.7%), were more frequent in G1 vs. G2 (p < 0.001). No case of pulmonary embolism and fibrosis had been documented. The lung lesions affecting 30% of the parenchyma were informative in predicting death (area under the ROC curve at 0.705, p = 0.017). In multivariate analysis, a percentage of lesions affecting 50% of the lung parenchyma increased the risk of dying by 7.194 (1.656-31.250). Conclusion: The chest CT demonstrated certain characteristic lesions more frequently in patients in whom the diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed. The extent of lesions affecting at least half of the lung parenchyma from the first day of admission to hospital increases the risk of death by a factor of 7.

Partial Splenic Embolization in Paediatric Sickle Cell Disease Patients with Hypersplenism.

PURPOSE: To assess the safety and efficacy of partial splenic embolization (PSE) to reduce the need of transfusions and improve hematologic parameters in patients with hypersplenism and sickle cell disease (SCD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective study includes 35 homozygous hemoglobin S patients with SCD and hypersplenism who underwent PSE from 2015 until 2021 in Kinshasa. Patients were evaluated, before and after PSE (1, 3 and 6 months), using clinical, laboratory and ultrasonographic methods. PSE was performed with the administration of gelatin sponge particles embolizing 60-70% of the splenic parenchyma. RESULTS: The mean age was 10 (± 4) years and (21/35, 60%) were male. After PSE Leucocytes decreased at 3 months (16 692.94 vs 13 582.86, p = 0.02) and at six months Erythrocytes increased 2 004 000 vs. 2 804 142 (p < 0.001), Platelets increased (168 147 vs. 308 445, p < 0.001) and Hemoglobin increased (5.05 g/dL vs. 6.31 g/dL, p < 0.001) There was a significant dicrease in the need of transfusions from 6 (2-20) before PSE to 0.06 (0-1) after PSE (p < 0.001). The most frequent complication was splenic rupture (4/35, 11.4%), seen only and in all patients with hypoechogenic nodules at baseline. CONCLUSION: PSE is a safe procedure in patients with SCD and hypersplenism, that do not have hypoechogenic nodules in the spleen. PSE improves the hematological parameters and reduces the frequency of blood transfusions.

Profil scanographique des tumeurs du pancréas dans 3 services de radiologie à Kinshasa: une série de cas rétrospective / Scanographic profile tumors from 3 radiology division in Kinshasa: retrospective serial cases

Contexte et objectif. Le pancréas étant un organe profond, son exploration clinique est parfois limitée et peu performante. Le diagnostic de ces pathologies repose principalement sur le dosage des enzymes pancréatiques (la lipasémie notamment) et l'imagerie médicale. L'objectif de la présente étude était de décrire le profil scanographique des tumeurs pancréatiques. Méthodes. Il s'agissait d'une série des cas documentaires menée dans 3 Services de radiologie à Kinshasa de janvier 2016 à juin 2021, ayant retenu 86 comptes rendus de tomodensitométrie (TDM) abdominale des patients avec pathologie pancréatique. Toutes les images archivées ont été relues par spécialistes en imagerie. Résultats. 66 cas de tumeurs pancréatiques ont été colligés. Le sexe masculin était prépondérant (sex-ratio H/F=1,6) avec un âge moyen de 55,7 ± 14,7 ans (16 à 92 ans). Le syndrome de cholestase (50 %) et la douleur abdominale (épigastrique) étaient les indications les plus retrouvées. Les contours étaient lobulés dans plus de la moitié des cas (56,1 %). Le canal de Wirsung était dilaté dans la plupart des tumeurs. Les tumeurs étaient résécables dans 26 % des cas. Conclusion. La TDM abdominale contribue au diagnostic des pathologies pancréatiques. Elles affectent le plus souvent des sujets âgés du sexe masculin et sont dominées par les tumeurs qui sont généralement diagnostiquées au stade non-résécable

Context and objective. The pancreas being a deep organ, its clinical exploration is sometimes limited and inefficient. The diagnosis of pancreatic pathologies is mainly based on the dosage of pancreatic enzymes (lipasemia in particular) and medical imaging. The objective of the present study was to describe the scanographic profile of pancreatic tumors in 3 radiology departments in Kinshasa. Methods. It was a retrospective serial case study conducted in 3 radiology departments in Kinshasa from January 2016 to June 2021, having retained 86 reports of abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan of patients with pancreatic pathology. Results. 66 cases of pancreatic tumors were involved. Male patients were predominant (sex-ratio M/F=1.6) and the mean age of 55.7 ± 14.7 years (range: 16 to 92 years). Cholestasis syndrome (50 %) and abdominal (epigastric) pain were the most common indications. In tumors, the contours were lobulated (56.1 %). The Wirsung duct was dilated in most tumors. The tumors were resectable in 26 % of cases. Conclusion. The abdominal CT-scan contributes to the diagnosis of pancreatic pathologies. These pathologies mostly affect male elderly subjects, are predominantly tumoral and generally diagnosed in late unresectable stage.

Cherubism in sub-saharan Africa: a first case-report in a child.

Cherubism is rare disease and has been rarely reported in African pediatric population. We report here the case of a 10-year-old child who was referred to our hospital for bilateral jaws swelling. Physical examination revealed bilateral swelling symmetry of the face. Histopathological examination of the biopsy specimen showed loose fibrous stroma, proliferating fibrous connective with tissue interspersed with multinucleated giant cells, small thin walled blood vessels and scattered sparse mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate. Our patient presented cherubism. Cherubism is rarely described in children living in sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic and molecular investigations plays an important role in diagnosis but were not available in poor resources settings in developing countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Skinfold over toenail is pathognomonic for the popliteal pterygium syndrome in a Congolese family with large intrafamilial variability.

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: We report on three related Congolese popliteal pterygium syndrome (PPS) patients concordant only for the skinfold over the toenail. Mutation analysis revealed that the three affected individuals carried a heterozygous missense mutation in the Exon 4, NM_006147.2:c.250C>T; p.Arg84Cys. This is the first molecularly confirmed PPS family from central Africa.