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In Nigeria, the recurring impoverishment and other negative socioeconomic impacts endured by landholders affected by expropriation are well-documented and call into question the Land Use Act's (LUA) effectiveness in protecting local land rights. The World Bank's Land Governance Assessment Framework found that, in Nigeria, "a large number of acquisitions occurs without prompt and adequate compensation, thus leaving those losing land worse off, with no mechanism for independent appeal even though the land is often not utilized for a public purpose". Such negative outcomes may be due to a number of factors, including corruption, limited capacity, and insufficient financing as well as Nigeria's weak legal framework. According to a recent study of compensation procedures established in national laws of 50 countries, Nigeria's compensation procedure lags behind many of the countries assessed because the LUA mostly fails to adopt international standards on the valuation of compensation. This article examines Nigerian expropriation and compensation procedures in more detail by combining both an in-depth legal analysis of Nigeria's expropriation laws as well as survey and qualitative research that indicates, to some extent, how expropriation laws function in practice in Nigeria. Based on our legal assessment, surveys, and interviews with both government and private sector officials involved in the LFTZ, we found that the Nigerian government failed to comply with international standards on expropriation and compensation, both in terms of its laws and its practices in the LFTZ case. This article expands our conference paper written for the UN Economic Commission of Africa Conference on Land Policy in Africa, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November of 2017. Under Nigeria's LUA, affected landholders are not granted the right to participate in expropriation and compensation decision- making or otherwise be consulted on matters affecting their land and livelihoods. In 2004, the LUA enabled the Lagos State government to set aside 16,500 hectares of expropriated agricultural land from Lagos coastal communities to develop the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ). Following the expropriation, the Lagos State Government (LSG) and Lekki Worldwide Investment Limited signed a Memorandum of Understand (MOU) with nine affected communities in 2007. The MOU is a legally binding document that promises compensation, alternative land, jobs, healthcare, and educational opportunities to the communities affected by expropriation. However, our research suggests that the MOU has not been fully honored. According to a survey of 140 affected households conducted in August 2017, the government still had not paid sufficient compensation to all affected communities or had not yet provided them with suitable alternative land, jobs, equity shares and other entitlements promised by the MOU. While there are several reasons why the MOU has not been honored, this article mainly focuses on the failure of the LUA to establish binding obligations on government officials to compensation, resettle, and reconstruct the livelihoods of affected landholders. This article argues that the LUA must be reformed so that, whenever land is expropriated for development projects, the government and private sector entities (i.e., acquiring bodies) have a legal obligation to provide sufficient and prompt compensation, alternative land, jobs, equity shares, and other entitlements to affected landholders.Moreover, the LUA should obligate the government and acquiring bodies to follow a transparent and participatory process when expropriating land and compensating communities so that, if properly enforced, the reformed LUA can mitigate the risks commonly associated with expropriation, including landholder impoverishment, displacement, food insecurity, and conflict.

The association of uterus didelphys and unilateral blind vagina with ipsilateral renal agenesis is an infrequent urogenital malformation distinguished by a lesion of the mesonephric duct. In most patients, symptoms are present at the beginning of the menstrual cycle because a transverse vaginal septum on one side obstructs the flow of menses, which consequently collect. Magnetic resonance imaging allows a precise delineation of this congenital abnormality, clearly demonstrating the transverse vaginal septum with hematometrocolpos and uterus didelphys. Extending the magnetic resonance study to the abdomen and employing coronal sections with a wide field of view is important to search for associated renal agenesis or hypoplasia.

To define the accuracy of Magnetic Resonance (MR) in the diagnosis of inferomedial displacement of the meniscal fragment.The MR examinations of the knee performed between December 2002 and April 2004 on 676 patients (mean age 32 years) with knee trauma and subsequently subjected to arthroscopy were retrospectively reviewed to assess the presence of bucket-handle meniscal tear and inferomedial displacement of the meniscal free fragment. The MR examinations were performed using a superconductive 0.5 T MR unit with a transmitting/receiving coil dedicated for the extremities. The MR images were acquired with SE T1 and GE T2* sequences in the sagittal, coronal and axial planes with 3 mm thickness and 1 mm gap. The images were independently reviewed by two authors blinded to the arthroscopic findings. In case of disagreement, a third author, unaware of the arthroscopic findings, gave his judgment.On MR images a bucket-handle meniscal tear was identified in 54/676 patients. In 6 out of 54 patients, an inferomedial meniscal fragment displacement of the medial meniscus with associated inflammatory synovial reaction around the fragment was detected. In one case an associated inflammatory bursal reaction with effusion around the distal insertion of the medial homolateral collateral ligament was detected. All cases were confirmed by arthroscopy and no statistical differences between the two authors were observed.MR allows the detection of the inferomedial meniscal fragment displacement and a more correct planning of arthroscopy with a strong reduction of repeat interventions.

To describe an original protocol for single slice spiral Computed Tomography (CT) virtual bronchoscopy in the evaluation of patients with central airway stenoses and compare the results with fibreoptic bronchoscopy.Ten patients (4 female and 6 male; age range 22-60 years; mean age 44 years) with endobronchial disease diagnosed by fibreoptic bronchoscopy (8 malignant tumours, 1 benign tumour and 1 fibroid stenosis) underwent virtual bronchoscopy with single slice spiral CT. A panoramic spiral CT scan of the whole chest was first obtained. Once the area of interest had been identified, a new contrast enhanced scan was performed, from bottom to top, with the following parameters: 2 mm slice thickness, 1 mm reconstruction index, 1.3 pitch, 120 Kvp, 80 mAs. Virtual bronchoscopy was generated with an upper threshold of -500 HU from the cross-sectional images of the second scan on a dedicated workstation. Axial, multiplanar reformations (MPR), and virtual endoscopy simulation were simultaneously visualised. Virtual CT bronchoscopy findings were compared with those of fibreoptic bronchoscopy.The protocol we used to perform single slice spiral CT virtual bronchoscopy enabled us to obtain virtual bronchoscopy images that correlated well with fibreoptic bronchoscopy findings in all cases, as well as allowing the visualization of the airways beyond the stenoses. Information about tissues surrounding the tracheobronchial tree was also available from axial and MPR images. Only in 1 case were motion artefacts observed.The set of the most appropriate parameters for performing virtual bronchoscopy by single slice spiral CT has not yet been standardized. In our opinion the appropriate selection of the protocol to adequately realize virtual bronchoscopic images is crucial when using CT devices such as the above, so as to achieve the correct balance between the quality of image definition and exposure dose.

To assess the diagnostic potential of ultrasound as compared to conventional radiography in quantifying the anatomic and structural damage and determining the grade of acute traumatic lesions of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint.From September 2001 to September 2002, 18 patients (16 men, 2 women; age range: 17-78 years) who came to our Emergency Service with clinically suspected acute traumatic AC joint lesion were examined by ultrasonography with a variable frequency linear-array transducer (7.5-12 Mhz). The morphology of the AC joint peri-articular ligaments and soft tissues, distance between the edge of the acromion and the lateral margin of the clavicle, distance between the superior edge of the coracoid and the inferior margin of the clavicle were evaluated. Conventional radiography was performed prior to ultrasound using routine antero-posterior (A-P), single-film stress and "outlet" projections. All patients subsequently underwent clinical follow-up for a mean period of six months.On US examination, all patients presented AC ligament lesion associated with consistent intra- and extra-articular sero-haemorrhagic effusion. Six of the 18 patients had suffered indirect trauma. Diastasis of the AC joint with ligament lesion not associated with involvement of coracoclavicular (CC) joint and with ligament integrity was observed. Twelve of the 18 patients had direct trauma. Changes to AC and CC ligaments with consequent diastasis of both joints were observed. Measurements of AC and CC distance obtained on US examination corresponded to those obtained at conventional radiography in the A-P projection. At clinical follow-up, no variation in the previously established diagnosis was recorded in any patient.If appropriate methodology and adequate transducers are used, ultrasound is an accurate and reliable technique for the evaluation of acute AC joint injuries, complementing and correlating well with conventional radiography.

To describe our experience in three cases of abdominal haemorrhage caused by bleeding renal angiomyolipomas, which were studied with Computed Tomography (CT).A retrospective study carried out at our archives identified 3 patients (aged 58.6 on average) with renal angiomyolipomas clinically manifested with acute abdomen and haemorrhage. The patients underwent an emergency CT scan of the abdomen. One patient also under-went a subsequent renal angiography. All patients had surgery and histological characterizations of the renal lesions.The CT study on all three patients allowed detection of a lesion in the kidneys with inhomogeneous density due to haemorrhage. Areas with fat-density values (-60 -80 UH) were always observable within the lesions. The lesions, measuring 5-9 cm, were located in the right kidney in two patients and in the left kidney in one.In 40% of patients, renal angiomyolipoma may account for a picture of hypovolemic shock, so a correct diagnostic approach is important to guide the surgical approach. CT allows detection of the angiomyolipoma as the cause of the haemorrhage in most cases. The diagnosis is relatively simple when the lesion has typical features such as adipose content, whereas it may be difficult with non-typical aspects. Furthermore the fat content may also be detected in varying quantities in other renal lesions responsible for bleeding.