Evaluation of the usefulness of plain radiography in the imaging of nontraumatic neck pain: A retrospective survey at a tertiary hospital in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Plain radiography rather than magnetic resonance remains the first-line modality in the evaluation of patients with nontraumatic neck pain (NNP) in most hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. Objective: The objective of the study is to determine the usefulness of plain radiography in the detection of causes of NNP. Subjects and Methods: A sample of 596 patients was evaluated in a retrospective study carried out at a tertiary hospital. Request forms were used to sort patients into the type of X-ray views requested by physicians while radiologists' reports were used to sort patients according to radiological findings, type of X-ray views, and type of imaging modality requested by radiologists for further evaluation of patients. Results: No abnormality detected was reported in 67.6% of patients while computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging was requested for further evaluation in 74.6% of patients. Physicians requested anteroposterior (AP) and lateral views for most patients (71.1%) while AP, both oblique and lateral as well as AP, open-mouth, and lateral views were requested for 12.5% and 16.4% of patients, respectively. Radiologists requested either oblique or open-mouth view for 214 patients after film review. The mean age of patients was 46 ± 6 years; 39.3% of patients were men while 60.7% were women; pain was most common after the 5th decade of life. Conclusion: Plain radiography was useful in the evaluation of patients with NNP in the tertiary hospital studied although it was not totally done in line with any standardized pathway for imaging of patients with NNP.

Keywords

• Imaging pathway
• neck pain
• Nigeria
• plain radiography