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The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a closed fist that function by pumping blood throughout the body making the body size extremely important in its performance. Hence, the work done by the heart depend largely on the total body size of the individual, measurements of which depends on the weight and height to estimate BMI, BSA and BSI. The aim of the study was to establish Ghanaian based standard reference values of cardiothoracic ratio and determine the relationship with body parameters for clinical application. The maximum transverse diameter of the heart was obtained by adding the widest distance of the right heart border from the midline and the left heart border to the midline (cardiac diameter). This value was then divided by the maximum transverse diameter of the thorax (the thoracic diameter) to give the cardiothoracic ratio (CTR). Which is described as a ratio of the cardiac width as against thoracic width. The measured CTR was approximately 15: 33 (cm) and is therefore within the normal limit of 50%. This is because a CTR of greater than fifty percent is abnormal, in terms of Posterior - Anterior (PA) or an Anterior - Posterior (AP) view. In addition, the height and weight were measured to estimate the BMI, BSA and BSI and the relationship of these parameters with the measured cardiothoracic ratio. The result shows that BSI better correlate with the cardiothoracic ratio than any other body parameter with 92.53% accuracy rate. The determination of the CTR which represent the size of the normal heart is of the greatest importance to cardiologists. This is because the heart size enlargement is better assess by determining the ratio of size of the heart (cardiac diameter) as against the size of the chest wall (the thoracic diameter). This is use for initial assessment of heart condition by cardiologist, with a standard adult heart having a CTR value of 0.5. The study shows that a normal size is so variable and depends so greatly on the sex, age and body parameters of the study population. In conclusion, the study will serve as basis of the relationship between body parameter and the CTR. It also established that a deviation of heart size with BSI may reveal an underlying pathologic condition, and called for further studies to be conducted for clinical decision.

The aim of this study is to estimate the effective dose and assess the lifetime attributable risk of cancer incidence of patients undergoing computed tomography scan at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Data on Volume CT Dose Index ( ) and Dose Length Product ( ) displayed on the scanner control console was recorded after confirmation of the results by performing independent checks on a phantom. The effective doses were estimated using the displayed and the anatomic region specific conversion factors ( ). The average effective dose for the head, abdomen, chest, neck, and pelvis were 3.63± 2.39mSv, 15.37±8.49 mSv, 12.72 ± 13.97 mSv, 4.04 ± 1.47 mSv and 15.8 ± 3.59 mSv respectively. Effective doses for the head and neck were within the typical range of (1-10mSv) for CT examinations whilst abdomen, chest and pelvis were above 10mSv. The average life attributable risk of cancer incidence for each region of examination were determined from the effective dose, sex and age using the model proposed in BEIR VII Report . The average cancer risk incidence for head, neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis examinations were low in the range 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 1,000. There were wide variations in the effective dose values obtained for the same region under examination. This trend calls for the optimization of CT examination protocols to be established to ensure that patient doses are as low as reasonably achievable, economic and social factors being taken into account especially for chest examinations.

Medical physics has been an indispensable and strategic stakeholder in the delivery of radiological services to the healthcare system of Ghana. The practice has immensely supported radiation oncology and medical imaging facilities over the years, while the locally established training programme continues to produce human resource to feed these facilities. The training programme has grown to receive students from other African countries in addition to local students. Ghana has been recognised by the International Atomic Energy Agency as Regional Designated Centre for Academic Training of Medical Physicists in Africa. The Ghana Society for Medical Physics collaborates with the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences of the University of Ghana to ensure that training offered to medical physicists meet international standards, making them clinically qualified. The Society has also worked together with other bodies for the passage of the Health Profession's Regulatory Bodies Act, giving legal backing to the practice of medical physics and other allied health professions in Ghana. The country has participated in a number of International Atomic Energy Agency's projects on medical physics and has benefited from its training courses, fellowships and workshops, as well as those of other agencies such as International Organization for Medical Physics. This has placed Ghana's medical physicists in good position to practice competently and improve healthcare.