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Background and objective: Neck pain is one of the most common symptoms in the general population; several work-related and individual factors have been verified as being related to neck pain. This study aimed to determine the pathologic MRI findings of patients presented with neck pain and assess its association with some probable risk factors for cervical spine lesions. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study involved a convenient sample of 100 patients with neck pain referred to the radiology department of Rizgary teaching hospital in Erbil for Magnetic Resonance Imaging examination of the cervical spine from June 2013 to February 2014. Results: The age of the patients ranged from 21 to 70 years, with a mean age ± SD of 40.19 ±10.44 years. Around 42% of patients were between 30-39 years, and 60% were females. Clinical symptoms of the patients revealed that51.6% had radicular pain with cervical MR images abnormalities in 59% of the patients. The most common degenerative abnormality on MRI was disc bugle, which accounted for 37.3 % of total degenerative changes. MRI findings were most common at the C5/C6 level. A significant association was found between the cervical MRI abnormalities and the occupation and practicing neck (P = 0.03 and 0.001, respectively). However, no association was found with age, gender, BMI, and smoking habits of the patients. Also, there was a highly significant (P = 0.001) association between radicular pain, with disc bulge and disc protrusion. Conclusion: MRI is a useful investigation tool for diagnosing different clinical conditions among patients with cervical pain. Considering the diagnostic accuracy and costeffectiveness, it is the key diagnostic tool for early detection of the degenerative changes and initiating appropriate treatment.

Background and objective: Abdominal ultrasound can provide an effective, non-invasive, fast, inexpensive, and safe procedure with no risk of radiation to patients. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess the role of ultrasonography in differentiating causes of right iliac fossa pain among patients admitted to emergency hospitals in Erbil City. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 120 patients with acute abdominal pain and tenderness of right lower quadrant (iliac fossa) region, clinically suspected to have acute appendicitis admitted to the emergency hospitals in Erbil city were included in the study, from April 2011 to February 2012. The data was collected through a direct interview of patients, followed by a sonographic examination. Results: The prevalence of true positive sonographic examination was 60.8%, with only 30% true negative findings. Around 69% of the cases had acute appendicitis, followed by ovarian cyst and right ureteric stone (11.1% and 7.4%, respectively). The sensitivity of sonographic examination in identifying appendicitis was 90.1%, the specificity was 92.3%. The positive predictive was 96%, while the negative predictive value was 81.8%. Sonographic characteristics of the positive patients with appendicitis showed that 58.0% of the patients had swollen appendix, and a diameter of 7.1-8 mm was the most imaging finding. Also, appendicitis was significantly (P = 0.02) more common (58%) in males, and negative appendectomy was prevalent among females. Conclusion: Appendicitis was the major cause of the right iliac fossa pain. Abdominal ultrasound was a reliable method in the diagnosis of the majority of patients with right iliac fossa pain and can decrease the rate of negative appendectomy.

Background and objective: Musculoskeletal injuries frequently occur in the ankle in both the athletic and general population. Ankle sprains are among the most frequent types of ankle injuries, which are conventionally diagnosed through clinical examinations. However, magnetic resonance imaging can provide a more precise diagnosis, leading to better injury management and prevention of consequent chronic complications. The present study aimed to examine the significance of magnetic resonance imaging in detecting and assessing changes that occur in ligaments and soft tissues in patients with ankle sprains. Methods: In a prospective study, 50 patients with ankle sprain referred to Rizgary and Erbil Teaching hospitals in Erbil city, Iraqi Kurdistan Region, from March 2018 to April 2019, were included in the study. They underwent clinical evaluation and MRI (GE general electric 1.5 Tesla). Two expert radiologists analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging images, and the results were compared. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 through descriptive statistics. Results: Most patients (64%) belonged to the age groups of 30-49 years old. Most of them (64%) were males. Most events of ankle sprain (66%) were because of sports and accidents. The clinical evaluation proved 82% of the ankle sprains. Regarding the laterality of the lesions, 60% were spotted in the right ankles and 40% in the left. According to magnetic resonance imaging results, both radiologists diagnosed that the ankle sprains included bone lesions, ligament injury, tendon injury, and effusion. There was an agreement of ≥ 96% between the two radiologists in this regard. The two radiologists were not significantly different in terms of diagnosing the ligament side. As reported by the radiologists based on the magnetic resonance imaging images, the anterior, lateral, and medial tendons were normal in most cases. Conclusion: Magnetic resonance imaging is a vitally important tool that can be utilized reliably and accurately to diagnose and evaluate changes in ligaments and soft tissues in patients with ankle sprains. Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Ankle sprain; Ligaments; Injuries.