Thoracic CT angiographic imaging findings of patients seen in the Cardio-thoracic Centre of Babcock University Teaching Hospital: a retrospective review.

Abstract

Background: Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of the thoracic vasculature is a valuable tool for the
detection and follow-up of both congenital and acquired abnormalities of the great vessels. Advances in our
knowledge of cardiovascular disorders, coupled with technological innovations, have enabled the increased use of
minimally invasive cardiovascular diagnostic modalities and surgical interventions, particularly in Africa. It is now a
widely employed technique for the study of the thoracic vasculature. Objective: The study aims to assess the value of
MDCT in the detection of thoracic vascular abnormalities among patients referred from the hospital's cardiothoracic
centre to the radiology department. Methodology: A retrospective study was done on seventy-three (73) patients
referred by the Cardio-thoracic Centre of Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) for cardiothoracic
angiographic (CTA) imaging of the chest for clinically suspected/diagnosed cardio-thoracic diseases. Images and
reports from a 160-slice multi-detector Toshiba CT machine were obtained from archived records. Data were
processed and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (version 26; SPSS Inc,
Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The study comprised 38 males and 35 females (total of 73 patients), with the elderly age
groups between 60 years and above making 23.3%. The presenting complaints were varied, with 14.3% of the
patients having a background of hypertension (HTN). Cardiomegaly was the most frequent finding (18.2%),
followed by aortic aneurysm/dilatation (12.7%). The least occurrence was mediastinal mass, constituting 1.2%.
However, 6.8% had normal chest CT scan results. Conclusion: Chest CTA has a high diagnostic performance for
detecting great vascular abnormalities.