Imaging of Degenerative Pathologies of the Lumbar Spine: Professional Habits in Some Hospitals in Cameroon

Background: The lumbar spine is the portion most frequently involved in degenerative pathologies. Everyone will suffer one day from “low back pain”. These pathologies are very frequent: epidemiological studies have shown that 65% to 90% of the general population could be affected by low back pain (lumbago) which could become chronic at acertain stage or could be complicated (2% to 4%) of cases could end up affecting nerve roots. Chronic low back pain causes a major public health problem in terms of morbidity and socioeconomic repercussions. Purpose: The overall purpose of this study is to evaluate the professional habits of exam applicants in case of degenerative pathologies of the lumbar spine, to Appreciate the knowledge of clinicians on the usefulness of medical imaging techniques in the event of suspicion of a degenerative pathology of the lumbar spine and finally to evaluate if the professional habits of requesting examinations in Cameroon comply with the Recommendations for Clinical Practice. Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive study was used and was based on questionnaires distributed to those practitioners who requested for these diagnostic medical imaging studies and procedures at Yaoundé General Hospital (HGY), Yaoundé Central Hospital, La Cathédrale Medical Center, Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, the Douala General Hospital, the Laquintinie Hospital of Douala, the Military Hospital of Douala, the Daniel Muna Memorial Clinic of Douala, the International Center for Clinical and Medicine Imaging, the Ngaoundere Regional Hospital and the Protestant Hospital of Ngaoundere (HPN), from April 2020 to March 2021. Data collected was processed and analyzed via Epi Info version 12.0 and the statistical test used for correlation was Chi2. Results: 137 practitioners were retained among whom, 90 were male and 47 females, their average age being 46 years with working experience less than 5 years (35.8%). The results obtained show that parameters such as availability and accessibility of the required diagnostic medical imaging modalities could greatly influence the examination prescription. On the contrary, few prescribers were less interested in the costs and secondary effects due to irradiation and the invasiveness of these examinations. Professional habits of those who requested these examinations were in majority closer in line with the recommended clinical practices. However, an average of 43.78% of prescribers never followed recommendations nor applied them. On the other hand, knowledge and the application of these recommendations increased as the prescriber’s working experience too increased. Up to 54.47% of prescribers were not aware of those recommendations about requesting these examinations. Conclusion: Our results indicate that Medical Diagnostic Imaging techniques are not judiciously and optimally exploited in the diagnosis of degenerative pathologies of the lumbar spine and it would be necessary to establish recommendations for clinical practice adapted to Cameroonian realities.