Aspergillosis of the bone.

Aspergillosis of the long bones has not been reported. Those of the bones of the paranasal sinuses and ear canal have been reported but rare. A young woman reported to us with history of discharging sinuses around the right knee and recent fracture of the right femur. Despite all efforts, she ended up losing the whole limb from the hip. When a patient with Aspergillosis of the long bones presents late, amputation may be the best option. Early diagnosis will prevent this.

The epigastric heteropagus conjoined twins.

Conjoined twins are rare and are classified as symmetrical or asymmetrical, in which a member, the host (autosite), is near normal and bears the parasite, which is incomplete, smaller, and fully dependent for growth on it. This form of conjoined twins is referred to as heteropagus and when attached to the epigastrium of the autosite is called epigastric heteropagus. Only 44 cases of epigastric heteropagus twins have been previously reported in the world literature. We hereby report the successful separation of a pair of heteropagus twins.

Giant omental lipoma in a 13-year-old adolescent girl.

Although lipoma is a common benign mesenchymal tumor, its occurrence in the omentum is a rare finding. We report an unusual case of omental lipoma in a 13-year-old adolescent girl. The mass was completely excised and weighed 12.3 kg. The patient is alive and well with no evidence of recurrence at 4 months of follow-up.

Pedestrian injuries resulting from road traffic accidents: the Azare experience.

BACKGROUND: Road traffic accident (RTA) is a leading cause of serious morbidity and mortality world wide. The pedestrians are not spared from this epidemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify factors that puts the pedestrian at risk of injuries from RTA and the anatomical regions most commonly involved in our environment and suggest ways of curbing them. METHODS: This was a one-year retrospective study of 122 pedestrian casualties resulting from road traffic accident attending the Accident and Emergency (A/E) Unit of the Federal Medical Centre, Azare. RESULTS: Majority of the patients (72%) were males with a male to female ratio of 2.6:1. Children and adolescents constitute 54.1% of the casualties. Motorcycles were responsible for most of the pedestrian injuries (73%). The head and neck was the most frequently injured anatomical region of the body (43.4%), followed by the extremities (37%). The months of August and January were the peak periods of injuries. CONCLUSION: The safety of pedestrian is seriously threatened by the growing popularity of commercial motorcycles on our roads. Preventive measures are advocated to ensure only licensed cyclists are allowed on the roads. Adequate personnel training to manage head injury in our centers is also advised. More patrol by the road safety agents is advised in the months of January and August.

Pedestrian Injuries Resulting from Road Traffic Accidents : the Azare Experience

BACKGROUND: Road traffic accident (RTA) is a leading cause of serious morbidity and mortality world wide. The pedestrians are not spared from this epidemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify factors that puts the pedestrian at risk of injuries from RTA and the anatomical regions most commonly involved in our environment and suggest ways of curbing them. METHODS : This was a one-year retrospective study of 122 pedestrian casualties resulting from road traffic accident attending the Accident and Emergency (A/E) Unit of the Federal Medical Centre; Azare. RESULTS : Majority of the patients (72) were males with a male to female ratio of 2.6 :1. Children and adolescents constitute 54;1 of the casualties. Motorcycles were responsible for most of the pedestrian injuries (73). The head and neck was the most frequently injured anatomical region of the body (43.4); followed by the extremities (37). The months of August and January were the peak periods of injuries. CONCLUSION: The safety of pedestrian is seriously threatened by the growing popularity of commercial motorcycles on our roads. Preventive measures are advocated to ensure only licensed cyclists are allowed on the roads. Adequate personnel training to manage head injury in our centers is also advised. More patrol by the road safety agents is advised in the months of January and August

Pattern of spinal cord injury in Maiduguri, North Eastern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is often associated with lifetime morbidity. There is no data on this injury from this Sub-region. The study examines the pattern of SCI in Maiduguri and its environs with a view to contribute to the emerging national data on the rising incidence of this injury and to highlight the deficiencies in our set up and suggest ways of improving them. METHODS: The case notes of SCI patients managed at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital between 1998 and 2002 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: There were 36 patients, 30 males and 6 females (ratio 5:1) with age range of 13-55 years (mean 34.3 +/- 3 years). Road traffic accident (RTA) accounted for 22 (61.1%), while falls resulted in 9 (25%) of the injuries. The most frequent levels of injury were cervical region 14 (38.9%) and thoracolumbar 10 (27.8%). The commonest complications encountered were urinary tract infections (UTI) and bedsores. All the deaths, 3 (8.3%), occurred in patients with complete cervical spine lesion. CONCLUSION: The high morbidity associated with SCI could be reduced through public enlightment on road safety measures including use of seat belts, prohibition of carrying goods and passengers together in trucks. and establishment of Spinal Centres equipped to function.