Two years of transthoracic echocardiography at a private echocardiographic laboratory in Enugu, south east Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is one of the most commonly performed cardiac investigations. It can provide comprehensive information about cardiac structure and function helping to establish a diagnosis and guide therapy, and it is no longer the preserve of the specialist cardiology department. Examinations are frequently requested by doctors in other branches of medicine, and they need to know what question an echocardiogram can answer .The commonest reason for undertaking an echocardiographic examination (echo) is to assess left ventricular function.
Previous studies on the indications for echo had documented valvular heart disease, hypertensive heart disease and congenital heart diseases as the commonest indications for echo in Nigeria. Some of these studies were done over a decade ago, and with the changing patterns of cardiovascular disease in our environment, an update is necessary.
Methodology: We reviewed the echocardiogram records of 608 patients (mean age 46.4 ± 21.4 years) done from July 2009 to October 2011. 56% of the subjects were males, while 44% were females.
Results: The commonest indications for echo were hypertensive heart disease, heart failure and valvular heart diseases. The commonest echocardiographic diagnoses were degenerative aortic valve disease, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and degenerative mitral valve disease.
Conclusions: Valvular heart diseases are still the commonest findings in patients presenting for echocardiographic examination in Enugu.

Key words: Echocardiography, private laboratory, south