Nigerian Medical Practitioner

The Radiological Patterns of MRI Findings in Seizure Disorders in a Tertiary Centre: The LASUTH Experience.

Adegboyega OA, Salisu MA, Ayodele A, Bolarinwa NT, Jimoh ND — Tue, 13 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Summary:

Seizure disorders, affecting millions globally, require accurate diagnosis and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a crucial role in identifying structural abnormalities associated with seizures. However, there is a limited study on the radiological patterns in MRI findings in a tertiary center in Nigeria. This study aimed to analyze MRI findings in seizure patients at a resource-limited tertiary center in Lagos, Nigeria, and to assess the relationship between age and MRI pathologies. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted on 122 patients who underwent brain MRI for seizure disorders. Data on demographics, seizure types, and MRI findings were extracted from electronic archives and analyzed using SPSS version 27.0. Pearson chi-square tests were used to examine the relationship between age and MRI findings, with a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Normal MRI findings were present in 46.7% of patients. Among the MRI-revealed seizure pathologies: 91.8% were classified as "Unknown," while seizure anomalies were recorded the remaining 8.2%, of which 53.3% of patients with cortical abnormalities being the most common (40.2%). An inverse relationship was observed between age and MRI pathology prevalence, with younger patients exhibiting more abnormalities. Cortical abnormalities were the most prevalent MRI finding, and a clear inverse relationship between age and MRI pathology was demonstrated. The findings underscore the need for improved access to advanced neuroimaging and EEG services to enhance epilepsy diagnosis and management in Nigeria.

Self-Reported Influence of Social Media Addiction on Sleep Pattern and Academic Performance among Senior Secondary School Students in Yaba Local Council Development Area, Lagos State.

Temitope W. Ladi-Akinyemi, Azeezat O. Ogunbona, Abdulhakeem O. Abiola — Tue, 13 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Summary:
Social media addiction is a widespread concern globally, affecting all age groups. It has deeply permeated the daily routines of students, and excessive usage may affect academic performance, induce sleep disturbances, and expose students to health risks and mental health issues. The objective of this study was to assess the inﬂuence of social media addiction on sleep patterns and academic performance of senior secondary school students in Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA). The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 400 senior secondary school students in Yaba LCDA. Systematic random sampling was used to select respondents, and data was collected through self-administered questionnaires. The data was analysed with SPSS version 26. Statistical significance was set at a P-value < 0.05. The mean age of the respondents in the study was 15.59(1.4). The majority of the respondents reported having access to social media through either a smartphone, laptop, or both. About 43% of respondents exhibited social media addiction, with less than one-third (35.5%) reporting disrupted sleep. Less than half (45.7%) linked social media to academic decline, and 68.7% perceived reducing usage would boost academic performance. The study revealed that most respondents showed no significant social media addiction, with only a few displaying mild to moderate levels of addiction. The majority experienced no notable effect on their academic performance or sleep. A well-rounded lifestyle by promoting a balance between online and oﬄine activities and advocating for student participation in sports, arts, and various non-digital pursuits to broaden their interests and prevent dependence on social media should be encouraged.

The Review of Renal Transplant Outcomes and Radiological Imaging.

Adegboyega OA, Awobusuyi JO, Akinola RA, Adekoya AO — Tue, 13 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Summary:

The impact of radiological imaging on renal transplant outcomes on kidney transplants during the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases has been variably studied. However, there remain limited studies on the impact of radiological imaging on renal transplant outcomes, highlighting the challenges faced in Nigeria. This review study investigates the impact of radiological imaging during kidney transplants while identifying the challenges in its implementation in Nigeria. We reviewed relevant studies retrieved using keywords like “radiological imaging techniques,” “renal transplant” and “challenges in Nigerian healthcare” from research engines like PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. This study noted that the anatomical and pathological perspectives derived from radiological imaging help improve transplant outcomes according to the available literature with vascular assessments in Nigeria depending heavily on Doppler ultrasound due to its cost-effective nature. Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offer superior accuracy in diagnosis. Diagnostic and therapeutic benefits from shear-wave elastography and artificial intelligence-based analyses are limited due to high installation with operational costs and insufficient infrastructure across Nigeria. Patient outcomes in renal transplants can be drastically improved in Nigerian healthcare systems with specific advanced imaging modalities and technologies. Radiological imaging must fully contribute to enhanced patient care through the improvement of investment-quality infrastructure systems along with capacity development which requires government and private support.

Screening for Stroke Risk in Paediatric Sickle Cell Anaemia: Comparing Nonimaging with Imaging Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography.

Adeyomoye AAO, Ifediora NC, Soyebi KO, Akinsete AM — Tue, 13 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Summary:

Stroke is a devastating and potentially fatal complication of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), caused by an impairment in the morphology and blood ﬂow pattern in the large cerebral vessels of the arterial circulation of the brains of affected individuals. Over the past decades, advances in technology have enabled the identification of asymptomatic children with SCD who are at increased risk of stroke by screening with the use of the Non-Imaging Transcranial Doppler(nTCD). This has greatly reduced the stroke incidences in children with SCD through preemptive interventions. Scarcity of this screening tool, (nTCD), necessitates the exploration of complementing it with more readily available and equally useful tool – the multipurpose ultrasound machine with Doppler capabilities. This study is aimed at comparing findings of intra-cranial arterial velocities obtained by the Imaging Transcranial Doppler (TCDI) with the widely studied Nonimaging Transcranial Doppler (nTCD) in determining the risk of stroke in children aged 2 to 16 years with SCD to explore the possibility of expanding the screening capacity of TCD in SCD children in our environment. One hundred and forty-five (145) children with SCA, aged 2 – 16years underwent both nTCD and TCDI examinations, not more than one hour apart, performed by a Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria (SCFN) sonographer and the researcher respectively, with the result from both studies blinded to each other. Non-corrected and Angle-corrected TCDI velocimetry at the terminal Internal Carotid Artery (ICA), Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) and Anterior Cerebral Artery (ACA) bilaterally were obtained and compared with similar indices from nTCD. 13 randomly selected of the 145 participants underwent Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) to correlate findings with nTCD and TCDI. Study data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 There were 145 children with sickle cell anaemia; 81 (55.9%) males and 64 (44.1%) females with a mean age of 7.98 ± 3.32 years, (age range 3 to 16 years) and age at diagnosis of sickle cell anemia being 3.24 ± 2.34 years (range1 -13 years). The Time Averaged Mean of Maximum Velocity (TAMMV) in TCDI in all the cerebral arteries measured were significantly lower than those of nTCD. Non-angle- corrected TCDI velocities were lower by 25% while Angle-corrected TCDI velocities by 17%. When only the velocities mostly implicated in Stroke (MCA and distal ICA) were compared, a difference of 18% and 10% respectively were recorded for the TCDI non-Angle corrected and Angle corrected TCDI, respectively. 17.9% of participants were classified as High risk by nTCD, while 9.7% and 4.8% were classified as High risk by angle- corrected and non-angle corrected TCDI respectively (p < 0.0001). TCDI can be safely used in resource poor areas to complement nTCD screening for complication of Stroke in SCD taking into cognizance, the subtle differences observed in this study.