TITLE:
Chest Computed Tomography of Elderly Subjects at University Hospital Campus Lomé
AUTHORS:
Pihou Gbande, Lantam Sonhaye, Massaga Dagbé, Dagouaba Ouoba, Lama Kegdigoma Agoda-Koussema, Komlanvi Victor Adjenou
KEYWORDS:
Computed Tomography, Chest, Elderly, Lomé
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Radiology,
Vol.8 No.4,
November
19,
2018
ABSTRACT: Background: Radiology in elderly as pediatric radiology poses a number of problems. The normal radiological appearance of the elderly patient’s chest is very varied and the changes are ubiquitous. Purpose: To describe the computed tomography profile of the elderly subject’s chest. Materials and Methods: Descriptive prospective study from January 1st to June 30th, 2018 carried out at the University Campus Hospital of Lomé. Results: We recorded 64 chest CT scans. The average age of the patients was 71.3. Internists (n = 21, 32.8%) and general practitioner (n = 16, 25%) were the major applicants for these tests. In most cases, thoracic CT examinations were requested as part of an extension assessment (n = 21, 32.8%), dyspnea and pneumonitis in 18.8% of cases each. All thoracic CT examinations were performed with contrast injection. CT with the TAP protocol was the most observed, accounted for more than half of the exams (56%). The main pathological lesions observed were diffuse parenchymal lesions (39.5%), pleurisy (11.1%) and PAH (11.1%). Conclusion: Computed tomography occupies an important place in the care of the elderly but the actors involved in their care must be trained to take optimal care.