Sensitivity of uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index in screening for adverse pregnancy outcome in first and second trimesters.

Purpose: In a poor resource country where screening for adverse pregnancy outcomes using maternal biomarkers seems unattainable, there is a need to search for credible alternatives. This study is, therefore, aimed at determining the sensitivity of uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index (UtAD-PI) in predicting pregnancy outcomes in the first and second trimesters and to establish any statistical difference in mean UtAD-PI in first and second trimesters screening of women with normal and abnormal pregnancy outcomes respectively.

Methods: This clinical-based, longitudinal, and unpaired cohort study involved 500 pregnant women, who were screened for adverse outcomes using UtAD-PI and delivered in the hospital.

Sonographic measurement of ear length among normal fetuses of pregnant Igbo women in port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Background: Fetal ear length measurement has been associated with some clinical values: sonographic marker for chromosomal aneuploidy and for biometric estimation of fetal gestational age.

Objectives: To establish a baseline reference value for fetal ear length and to assess relationship between fetal ear length and gestational age.

Methods: Ear length measurements were obtained prospectively from fetuses in 551 normal singleton pregnancies of 15 to 41 weeks gestation.

Renal echotextural changes in Nigerian workers chronically exposed to petroleum-based liquid fuels.

Exposure to hydrocarbon is associated with an increased risk of development of chronic kidney disease. Ultrasound, which is a non-invasive imaging modality, provides very important information about kidney morphology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of chronic exposure to some petroleum products on the kidney of exposed workers using sonography.

Bone mineral density in an urban and a rural children population-A comparative, population-based study in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is one of the non-communicable diseases linked to urbanisation. The foundation of osteoporotic fractures stems from childhood. Therefore, studies that promote maximising peak bone mass are strongly advocated.

Calcaneal Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation and Speed of Sound Measurements in a Population of Nigerian Children: Reference Data and the Influence of Sociodemographic Variables.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to establish a reference database of calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) and the speed of sound (SOS) in a healthy Nigerian population of children aged 6 to 14 years and also to investigate the influence of sociodemographic and anthropometric variables on them.

Methods: The BUA and SOS of 1016 healthy children were measured by quantitative ultrasound densitometry. Height and weight were measured with a stadiometer and weighing balance, respectively, whereas the sociodemographic parameters of the participants were collected on a semistructured questionnaire.

Sonographic assessment of petroleum-induced hepatotoxicity in Nigerians: does biochemical assessment underestimate liver damage?

Background: Exposure to petroleum products has been shown to have significant adverse effects on the liver which can manifest either as morphological or physiological changes.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the effects of chronic exposure to some petroleum products on the liver of exposed workers using sonography and to determine whether biochemical assessments underestimated hepatotoxicity.

Methods: Abdominal ultrasound was performed on 415 exposed workers in order to evaluate liver echogenicity and size.

Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function in thyrotoxicosis and implications for the therapeutics of thyrotoxic cardiac disease.

Introduction: Thyrotoxicosis is an endocrine disorder with prominent cardiovascular manifestations. Thyroid hormone acts through genomic and non-genomic mechanisms to regulate cardiac function. Echocardiography is a useful, non-invasive, easily accessible, and affordable tool for studying the structural and physiological function of the heart.