WELCOME TO DEPARTMENT OF RADIOLOGY
The Department is made up of 4 main units, namely Radiation Biology, Radiotherapy, Radiodiagnosis and Radiography. The combined two units of Radiation Biology and Radiation Therapy and the unit of Radiodiagnosis which formerly constituted separate Departments were merged into one department in December 1997. The Radiography unit was incorporated into the department during the 2005/2006 academic session with the commencement of the 5-year BSc. Radiography programme of the University of Lagos was incorporated into the department during the 2005/2006 academic session with the commencement of the 5-year BSc. Radiography programme of the University of Lagos.
The Radiation Biology and Radiotherapy unit of the department was established in April 1968 and became the first in West Africa to provide radiation therapy and nuclear medicine services. It was also the first department to offer courses in Radiation Biology, Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics in West Africa.
The unit initially commenced radiation therapy work in 1969 with a superficial x-ray machine. A cobalt-6o teletherapy machine (Theraton 780) was donated by Canada in 1975. With further international support, especially from the international Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, the unit acquired other facilities which included two cobalt-60 machines, mould room facilities, a simulator, a computerized treatment planning system, a computerized dosimetry system, remote after-loading brachtherapy facilities, various radiation monitoring and protection devices. Lately, through the Vamed project of the Federal Government of Nigeria, which is intended to modernize several teaching institutions in the country, a new linear accelerator radiotherapy equipment was acquired for treatment of cancer patients. New GE spiral CT scanner with simulator facilities for cancer treatment planning and automated mould facility was part of the Vamed package.
The Radiation Biology and Radiotherapy unit have clinical, teaching and research responsibilities providing specialized services for cancer diagnosis, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in close collaboration with other clinical departments. The Radiation Biology section provides nuclear medicine service to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and other hospitals in and around Lagos. It is also responsible for supervising radiation measurements in all installations in the hospital using x-rays to ensure safety of radiation personnel, patients and public at large.
The Radiodiagnosis unit of the department has been a service department to all the clinical departments of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital since the inception of the University in 1962. It also serves other secondary and tertiary teaching hospitals as well as private clinics and hospital in the south west region of the country. It has facilities for conventional general and special radiographic investigations and ultrasound examinations. Other modern equipment acquired through the Vamed project included digital mammographic machines, mobile machine for ward examinations and a spiral GE Computerized Tomography machine. Open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine is also available through public-private-partnership (PPP) initiative arrangement. Availability of these facilities has thus raised the status of the radiodiagnostic unit to international standard.
The Radiography unit of the department was established in the University of Lagos in 2004 following the assimilation, by the University, of the former Federal School Radiography, Yaba into the College of Medicine for the purpose of running a 5-year B.Sc program in Radiography. The programme is currently at 500 level of training. The accreditation process of the programme by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Radiographers’ Registration Board of Nigeria is on-going.
(NUC) and the Radiographers’ Registration Board of Nigeria is on- going.
Undergraduates Programme: Undergraduate courses (lectures and demonstrations) are offered to third and fourth year Medical and Dental Students by the Department during Special Clinical Skills postings of three weeks in Radiodiagnosis and one week in Radiotherapy. The objective is to integrate radiographic anatomy, pathology, basic principle pf radiation physics, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy and medical oncology into their training. The Department also teaches diagnostic radiology to physiotherapy students. During the posting, students participate actively in lectures, demonstrations, clinical teaching, ward round, theatre sessions and patient management. End of posting written tests are conducted to determine the level of knowledge acquisition.