SummaryIntroductionEchocardiographic evaluation remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of structural cardiac disease. No previous prospective studies have been done on the prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) in the Niger Delta area. This study was done to determine the frequency and pattern of congenital heart disease, using echocardiography as a diagnostic tool.MethodsAll patients presenting to the Paediatric Cardiology clinics of two centres, the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and the Paediatric Care Hospital between April 2009 and March 2013, were recruited and all had echocardiography performed.ResultsPrevalence of CHD in this study was 14.4 per 1 000 children; 277 (83.4%) of the patients had acyanotic CHD and 55 (16.6%) had cyanotic CHD. Ventricular septal defect and tetralogy of Fallot were the commonest acyanotic and cyanotic heart defects, respectivelyConclusionThe high prevalence of CHD in this study is the highest in the country and Africa, and may be attributable to the increased oil spillage and gas flaring from petroleum exploitation in this region.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of primary school teachers to perform simple vision screening on their school pupils, so as to determine if they can provide the first level of school vision screening services, and refer to the ophthalmologist for further evaluation when necessary. Methods: Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 130 teachers were randomly selected from 13 schools in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State. They were trained for six hours at a skills acquisition workshop on vision disorders in children and vision screening using Snellen visual acuity charts. Subsequently, they screened 1,300 of their pupils, who were all re-screened by the research team. Results: One hundred and ten female (84.6%) and 20 male teachers (15.4%) participated in the study. Seventy (53.8%) were from public schools while 60 (46.2%) were from private schools. The sensitivity of the teachers' visual acuity test, compared to that of the research team, was 53.3%, with a high specificity of 94.6%. The positive and negative predictive values of the teachers' test were also high. The teachers' visual acuity measurements showed moderate agreement with that of the research team with a Kappa score of 0.604. Conclusion: The study concluded that trained primary school teachers can effectively perform vision screening in school children using Snellen visual acuity charts for early detection and treatment of vision disorders in school pupils.

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal abnormality in man and congenital heart defects (CHD) the most life threatening of its manifestations. The cardiac anomalies and early pulmonary hypertension are associated with high morbidity and mortality. It is thus important to diagnose and intervene early to improve the quality of life. Few studies have been done on Down syndrome patients in Nigeria. Objective: The objective was to find out the incidence and types of congenital heart defects in Down syndrome patients seen in the Paediatric cardiology unit of this tertiary institution. Method: A prospective study of Down Syndrome patients seen at the Paediatric Cardiology clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital over a three year period was carried out. Data of age, sex, birth order, mother's age, indication for surgery, clinical and echocardiographic findings and o u t c o m e w a s a n a l y s e d. Result: Of the 31 patients who had echocardiography done, all had cardiac defects (100%). Patent ductus arteriosus, occurring solitarily or in combinations was the commonest cardiac defect seen followed by ventricular septal defects. Interestingly, over 60 % of the patients had multiple cardiac defects with VSD/ PDA, VSD/ASD accounting for 50%. Conclusion: The incidence of multiple cardiac defects in more than 60% of DS patients seen underscores the need for early diagnosis and intervention. Routine extensive cardiac evaluation in the first few weeks of life is advocated.

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