https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52213 2026-04-05T03:27:35Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111221 Title: Prostate cancer : the use of PSA and imaging for staging assessment Abstract: This dissertation was performed to assess the role of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and imaging modalities in staging prostate cancer. Through this study, it was found that PSA is not always accurate in detecting and staging prostate cancer since a high PSA value can be a result of several conditions other than prostate cancer such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatis. Certain medications can also have an effect on PSA since these can either suppress or elevate the value of PSA. It was also established that low PSA does not necessarily exclude the presence of prostate cancer, since this can arise from hormonal therapy used to treat prostate cancer, or due to surgery of the prostate. An analysis of the medical history of the patient aids to determine whether further assessment through the use of imaging modalities is necessary. During the course of this study, it was determined that at St. Luke's Hospital, CT and bone scan are the main imaging modalities used for staging prostate cancer. These two imaging modalities are considered as the gold standard for assessing lymph node and bone metastasis respectively. It was also established that when bone scan is not conclusive, plain X-rays are used to exclude or demonstrate bone metastasis. Through the literature review it was revealed that a CT examination should be performed when the PSA value is above 20ng/ml, while bone scan should ideally be carried out on patients with PSA above 1 Ong/ml. On the basis of the findings, recommendations are proposed on how various imaging modalities and other tests such as digital rectal examination and biopsy can be utilised to achieve the best staging assessment. Description: B.SC.(HONS)RADIOGRAPHY 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/53923 Title: An evaluation of patients' anxiety in coronary angiographic interventional procedures. Abstract: A modem life-style has brought about conditions like atherosclerosis that are becoming major sources of threat for the human health. On the other hand, technology has enhanced interventional radiological procedures that are essential for dealing with coronary artery disease. However, such procedures are often associated with significant psychological problems such as anxiety, fear and uncertainty due to a variety of reasons. Several studies document different levels and causes of anxiety in cardiac patients awaiting a diagnosis or revascularisation and this motivated the researcher to investigate the local situation. A non-experimental, descriptive correlational study involving patients undergoing coronary angiographic interventional procedures at the Cardiac Catheterisation Lab of St. Luke's Hospital was carried out. The research tools utilised consisted of the pre-published and extensively used State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Visual Analogue Scale (V AS) and also the researcher developed Cath Lab Anxiety Questionnaires (CLAQ). The results showed that before the intervention, the majority of patients had a moderate amount of anxiety according to the VAS and CLAQ-B, and low anxiety according to the STAI; the main cause of this anxiety being the results of the procedure. After the procedure all three tools showed that the majority of patients had low anxiety and they were mainly concerned about having chest pain and a heart attack. Patients reported that they were satisfied with the service they received because they felt involved also thanks to the staffs professionalism. Nonetheless, the lack of privacy and long waiting times before the intervention were a source of frustration and regarded as areas for improvement. Finally, no statistical significance was found between anxiety and demographic data relating to patients' age, gender and occupation although some trends were identified. However, the difference in anxiety levels between day case patients and in-patients was found to be significant. Based on this study, the researcher put forward a number of recommendations such as more reassurance provided by the health care professional that would improve the standards of care and the quality of the service provided. Description: B.SC.(HONS)RADIOGRAPHY 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/53848 Title: The role of labelled RBC scintigraphy the management of patients presenting gastrointestinal bleeds in the Maltese islands. Abstract: Successful management of GI bleeding should depend on accurate localisation of the bleeding. GI bleeding is often intermittent and the bleeding source may be difficult to locate. Scintigraphy may detect active bleeding without the need of patient uncomfortable preparation procedure. Delayed images up to 24 hours may be achieved in order to localize the bleeding site (Garofalo & Abdu, 1997). A retrospective study was designed to assess the reliability of RBC scintigraphy in the diagnosis of GI bleeding and to evaluate whether the results obtained by RBC scintigraphy may be compared to endoscopy examinations performed locally. Although the results obtained from the research revealed that scintigraphy has an impact in the management of GI bleeding, this study showed that labelling RBC on its own is not a reliable imaging modality to account for GI bleeding. Description: B.SC.(HONS)RADIOGRAPHY 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/53736 Title: MRI of the lumbar spine : relevance of T1W axial imaging in cases of herniated discs. Abstract: The researcher of this study observed that low back pain, due to herniation of the intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine was a common complaint among the Maltese population. Patients were being referred for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) investigation of the lumbar spine, which is where intervertebral disc herniation occurs the most. During the examination MRI utilizes four main scanning sequences, which are used to produce the images, used for the evaluation, and diagnosis of herniated intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine. The sequences used are saggital Tl and T2 and axial Tl and T2, but the viability of using the axial Tl protocol was questioned. The reason behind this is whether the same amount of diagnostic information can be obtained without using the axial Tl sequence. This means saving time whilst still obtaining the same amount of diagnostic data. Description: B.SC.(HONS)RADIOGRAPHY 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z