news & views MAY 2013

ARTICLE
African radiographers: How to bridge the gap?
Boniface Yao, ISRRT Regional Coordinator Africa/Professional Practice
Radiologic Technologist (diagnostic radiology and medical imaging), Institut National de Formation des Agents de Santé (INFAS) Cote d’Ivoire
The discovery of ionizing radiations revealed radiography, the
pathway to clinical settings. Diagnostic imaging is crucial in
diagnosis of pathologies and several imaging technologies exist
today: Conventional x-ray imaging, Ultrasound imaging, Computed
tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Nuclear medicine.
Moreover, the growth of modern imaging depends on advances in
digital image technologies that contain more information, easier
to handle and archive. However, in Africa, hundreds of hospitals
and institutions do not have the possibilities to perform the most
fundamental imaging procedures, for lack of equipment, malfunction,
or even insufficient skills.
Despite the recurrent shortage in their area, African Technologists
keep on struggling to bridge the gap with the objective of seeking
for alternatively affordable and easy to use means of practicing
radiology.
The general methodology of approach consists, upon analysis of
examination procedure, to select equipments which offer a higher
flexibility in transposition from manufactured design to homemade
conception with local material. Then comprehensive prototypes are
designed in purpose of local construction after quality and suitability
evaluation.
Thus, Michael KIMBI from Cameroon developed in 2009, a
simple film digitisation model for email-based teleradiology
For the film digitisation process, the X-ray films produced
were first interpreted by hospitals’ radiologist then digitised on the
constructed box using Pentax 8.1 mega pixel digital camera, with
To computer
Storage and treatment on Fujitsu Siemens laptop computer (40Go,
1GHz, 248RAM). The films interpreted and digitised are presented
on laptop to 4 other radiologists. Each digital image rated on a scale
of 5 for:
• Brightness: Contrast intensity enabling perception of tonalities,
• Spatial resolution: Least distance between 2 points on image
making them to be seen as distinct,
• Noise level: Grains or fog on image perturbing interpretation
• Interpretability: Ease with which diagnosis could be posed for an
image.
Then, 10 best-rated images were compressed and sent by email to
a distant radiologist for appraisal. For the Data analysis Microsoft
White plexiglass
White light bulb
50cm
80cm
20cm
40cm
Digital
camera
Camera
aperture
X-ray film
Light
switch
Viewing box
(negatoscope)
Fig. 1 : Conception of the digitisation system.
Fig. 2: Front and Right view of conceived digitisation kit.
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