An audit of 3859 preadmission chest radiographs of apparently healthy students in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution

BACKGROUND: Chest radiographs are routinely requested as part of the medical screening process prior to admission to institutions. Literature on the yield of such an exercise is sparse especially in the Nigerian setting. This study was therefore carried out to assess the usefulness of routine chest radiography for students at the time of admission. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study of 3859 chest X-rays taken at the department of radiology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital for one admission screening for the 2008/2009 academic year. The age and sex of the subjects were also recorded. The heart, lung fields and bony thorax were examined for any abnormality. RESULTS: Out of the 3859 pre-admission chest radiographs studied, there were 1951 males or 50.56% and 1908 females or 49.44% subjects. The mean age for males was 21.15±3. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that pre-admission routine chest radiography in asymptomatic patients remains a relevant screening tool for medical fitness during admissions into institutions. However because of dangers of exposure to ionizing radiation, we advise that a detailed medical history and physical examination be done to restrict its use to only those subjects with signs and symptoms suggestive of disease.