ArticleJournal of medical radiation sciences2025
Analysis of the Justification for Spinal Computed Tomography (CT) Scans Performed in Togo.
Article in Journal of medical radiation sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe undeniable benefits of irradiating examinations such as computed tomography (CT) scans should not overshadow their potential harmful effects, particularly late risks. Hence, it is important to justify CT scans requested for patients. The aim of this study is to analyse the justification for CT scans in all health facilities with a functional medical scanner in Togo.
methodsThis was a prospective descriptive study of spinal CT scans performed between 1st June and 31st August 2021 and interpreted by a radiologist in seven functional CT units in Togo. The analysis of the justification was based in particular on the formulation of the clinical indication, the consistency of the clinical indication with the requested CT scan, and the compliance of the clinical indication with the Best Practice Guidelines of the Société Française de Radiologie (SFR) and the Société Française de Médecine Nucléaire (SFMN).
resultsThe 355 spinal CT scans included were exclusively cervical, dorsal and lumbar in 15.5%, 3.1% and 68.2% of the patients, respectively. The mean age of the patients was 48.2 years, with a sex ratio of 1.1:1.0. Approximately 69% of patients had a spinal CT scan within 3 days or less. Specialist (70.2%) and general practitioner (22.3%) were the most frequent requesters; 92.1% of the patients requested a non-radiating or less radiating imaging test before the CT scan. Non-physician staff (paramedics) accounted for 2.5% of requesters. The formulation of the clinical indication was good in 89.9%, acceptable in 7.6% and wrong in 2.5% of the patients. These indications were consistent with the examination requested in 98.9% of the cases and complied with the SFR's best practice guidelines in 72.1% of the cases. Spinal CT scans were pathological in 91% of the patients. The more clearly the clinical indications were formulated, the more significantly the results were pathological. Overall, in 34.1% of the cases, the CT scans performed were deemed not to be justified.
conclusionA significant number of spinal CT scans performed in Togo were not justified. Efforts must be made by both requesters and providers of medical imaging examinations to ensure judicious medical use of irradiating examinations in Togo.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.