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Audit of Echocardiographic Services at the University College Hospital Ibadan.

BACKGROUND
Echocardiography is useful in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and it influences management. It is becoming widely available in our Teaching Hospitals though expensive. It is therefore important to know the value of echocardiography in patients' diagnosis.


METHODS
One thousand five hundred and forty four patients referred for transthoracic echocardiography over 19-month period (March 2003 to September 2004) were studied. M mode, two dimensional and Doppler studies were out using ALOKA SSD 1700.


RESULTS
One thousand five hundred and forty four patients (778 males and 766 females) had echocardiography. Mean age was 51.4 +/- 15.5. Minimal age was 15 years while maximum was 100 years. The commonest indication for echocardiography include Hypertension 727 (47.1%), Pre-Chemotherapy assessment 127 (8.2%), Heart failure 117 (7.6%) and Routine Medical Check Up 99 (6.4%). The highest source of referral came from Cardiology unit 746 (48.3%). Staff Clinic 128 (8.3%), Surgery 127 (8.2%) and Nephrology 88 (5.7%). Six hundred and eighty seven (44.6%) were diagnosed as Hypertensive Heart Disease, 674 (36.5%) were Normal Study and 54 (3.5%) had Valvular Heart Disease.


CONCLUSION
The study showed the different indications for echocardiography, source of referral and diagnosis. There is an emerging need for echocardiography in our patients so as to improve their management.