Auditing the Findings of Computed Tomographic Angiographic Examinations Using 160-Slice Scanner: Analysis of 5-Year Experiences from Northwestern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is a promising tool for the rapid characterisation of the anatomy and structural lesions of the vascular system. AIM/OBJECTIVES: The aims/objectives of the study were to determine the frequency and pattern of vascular lesions in northern Nigeria. We also set to determine the agreement between clinical and CTA diagnosis of vascular lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We study patients that had CTA studies over a 5-year period. In total, 361 patients were referred for CTA, but only the records of 339 of them were retrieved and analysed. The information about patients’ characteristics, clinical diagnosis, and the findings on CTA was also retrieved and analysed. The categorical data results were expressed as proportions and percentages. The Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ statistic) was used to determine the agreement between the clinical and CTA findings. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) age of the subjects was 49.3 (17.9) years with a range of 1–88 years, consisting of 138 (40.7%) females. Up to 223 patients had various abnormalities on CTA. There were 27 (8.0%) cases of aneurysms, eight (2.4%) cases of arteriovenous malformations, and 99 (29.2%) cases of stenotic atherosclerotic disease. There was a significant agreement between the clinical diagnosis and corresponding findings on CTA showed for intracranial aneurysms (k = 15.0%; P < 0.001), for pulmonary thromboembolism (k = 4.3%; P < 0.001), and for coronary artery disease (k = 34.5%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The study found that close to 70% of the patients referred for CTA have abnormal findings, out of which stenotic atherosclerosis and aneurysm are the common findings. Our findings highlighted the diagnostic value of CTA variety of clinical conditions and underscored the prevalence of many vascular lesions in our environment, which hitherto were regarded as uncommon.