The pattern of radiological findings in the lungs and pleura on ct chest

Abstract

Background: Lung and pleural diseases are currently on the increase especially .due to HIV/AIDS. This necessitates early and appropriate diagnosis and therapy. CT scan is an excellent imaging procedure for diagnosis of chest conditions. There are no known previous studies on CT findings in the lungs and pleura in Kenya. Objective: This study sought to determine the pattern of radiological findings in the lungs and pleura on CTchest. Setting: The study was conducted at Kenyatta national hospital and plaza imaging solutions, Nairobi. Study Design: This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Data Analysis: Data was summarized and presented using proportions, frequency tables, pie charts and graphs. Results: Of the total 110 CT scans reviewed, the ages ranged from 2 years to 80 years with a mean age of 49 years. More than half of these were over the age of 48 years. Over half of the patients studied were males. Majority of the patients were sent for CT chest examination because they had a known primary cancer and needed evaluation for chest involvement. Majority (81.8 %) of the patients had done plain chest radiographs prior but only 59.1% had the reports or films at the time of CT chest examination. Tuberculosis and its complications was the commonest finding on CT Chest followed by normal chest reports. Pulmonary neoplasm was a significantly frequent finding at 20% with metastases being more than primary lung neoplasms. Conclusion and Recommendations: From the findings pulmonary Tuberculosis is still an important health problem in Kenya and deserves close attention from the government and healthcare experts