3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item A critical analysis of the Bantu pelvis, with special reference to the female.(1945) Heyns, O. S.The student of pelvic morphology is compelled sooner or later to consider the two main functions of the girdle, those of weight-bearing and parturition. These functions Inevitably guide his Investigations. Comparatively little work has been done on the pelvic mechanics of erect posture. The evolution of man's erect posture, on the other hand, has been considered by Friedenthal (1910), Weidenreich (1913), Keith (1923), Morton (1926), Westenhofer (1929), and Reynolds (1931)* The last author's disappointing paper succeeds only in demonstrating the difficulty of establishing the principles underlying the orthopaedist's approach to the mechanics of man's posture.Item The effects of MRI personnel shortages on waiting time and Bed Stay Costs in a Tertiary Referral(2019) Sithole, NhlanhlaThe study evaluates the effects of the removal of overtime payment on MRI scan personnel on waiting time and bed-stay cost resulting from decreased MRI scanning hours, which occurred as a result of MRI personnel over-time pay withdrawal dated 20th April 2012, as a surrogate representation of the benefit of increasing scanning hours. The study motives are to determine the number of patients occupying hospital beds while awaiting MRI scans over a 6-month period in a tertiary referral radiology department, BEFORE and AFTER the 20th April 2012, when overtime payment for technologists was terminated, to determine number of ‘waiting days’ (waiting time), overall, and per patient, and bed stay cost for those patients identified in objective one BEFORE and AFTER the specific event above, where overtime payment was terminated. The researcher identified a target population of 300 MRI scanning patients registered at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital MRI radiology department, during the period under study and employed a simple random sampling technique to choose the research sample frame. Different diagnostic tests were conducted in order to find whether the data collected was best fit or not for the research in question. These tests formed part of a data clean-up exercise. Tests conducted enabled the researcher to have objective and reliable research results. The data adequacy requirement tests include measures of central tendency, Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination, autocorrelation, chi-square, stationarity, long-term relationship and Granger causality. The researcher found out that the impact of the removal of overtime on MRI scan personnel resulted in longer waiting times by patients and a corresponding higher bed stay costs at Charlotte Maxeke referral hospital over the period under the study. The research results further indicate the removal of overtime payment had a Granger effect on MRI scan patients’ waiting time, which ultimately led to high bed stay costs. The researcher recommends that referral hospitals, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, must ensure that MRI scan personnel are well trained and equipped to deliver quality health services. The MRI scan personnel must periodically be sent for retraining through medical workshops, seminars and refresher courses to ensure that the MRI scan personnel are up to date with the current trends in the medical fraternity.Item Quality of Adult Chest Radiographs Using Slit Beam Radiography (LODOX) in the Trauma Setting(2014) Du Toit, Maria JohannaLODOX Statscan images the entire body in 13 seconds. There is no information available regarding quality assurance (QA) of this diagnostic imaging modality. We performed QA of the chest component of LODOX images at one Emergency Unit. AIM: To determine and score the prevalence and type of radiographic error of LODOX chest radiographs in the adult trauma setting. To develop a poster as visual aid to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of the LODOX Stat scan and suggest methods to reduce errors that may influence the diagnostic quality of the image. METHOD: A retrospective descriptive study on one hundred LODOX studies in adults (> 18 years of age) over a period of six weeks was done. The open source OSIRIX software was used to view DICOM files and QA evaluations were performed by three observers, using a pre--‐drafted tick--‐sheet and scoring system. RESULTS: No perfect scores were achieved in our study with an average score of 3.79 out of a possible worst score of 10. The majority of points were scored due to positioning errors and poor planning such as un--‐removed clothing and other artefacts. Radiographic density, contrast and sharpness generally were of good quality contributing less to QA scores. CONCLUSION: Operator dependent errors were the most frequently encountered in LODOX chest images. These were acquired without a trained radiographer in a trauma setting which possess its own challenges. There appears to be a leniency with regards to the quality of the images in this setting. The majority of the images were considered diagnostic, but many of the errors encountered are correctible through proper radiographic principles and this should be targeted when training staff.Item Functional neuroimaging in survivors of torture(2012-01-17) Ramasar, ThriyabhavanSurvivors of torture may have long-term physical, psychiatric and psychological sequelae. The aim of this study was to determine whether survivors of torture exhibit any psychopathology, whether they demonstrate abnormal findings on Brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging, and whether correlations exist between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), perfusion changes on Brain SPECT and Initial Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ8) scores. Thirty-six volunteers were recruited in a non randomised manner. Participants were assessed by a psychiatrist. The SRQ8, Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) and Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) were administered. Participants underwent Brain SPECT imaging to assess cerebral perfusion changes. Data was analysed using Statistica 9.1. The primary psychiatric diagnoses made were PTSD, MDD or both. Participants with psychopathology had higher SRQ8, MADRS and IES-R scores. Although qualitatively, participants with psychopathology showed increased abnormal cerebral perfusion on Brain SPECT imaging, as compared to those participants without psychopathology, this could not be proven statistically. Perfusion changes were noted in the temporal cortices, parietal cortices, orbitofrontal cortices, thalami and basal ganglia. Higher SRQ8 scores were associated with higher scores on the MADRS and IES-R, and hence correlated with diagnoses of MDD and PTSD, but no direct association was noted with the visualised abnormal Brain SPECT imaging findings.