Radiographic Assessment of Cardiothoracic Ratio in Apparently Healthy Adults in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

 Background: Cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) is the common way for the measurement of heart size, diagnosis of heart disease, and screening of cardiomegaly. The aim of the study was to assess CTR and the factors altering its measurement.  

Materials and Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients coming for a chest x-ray at Gambi Teaching General Hospital. A total of 250 adult study subjects selected by a systematic random sampling method were included in our study. The sociodemographic and radiographic data were collected using a pre-tested standardized questionnaire and measurements and analyzed using SPSS version-21. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post hoc test was implemented and P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.   

Results: The average values of CTR, transverse cardiac diameter (TCD), and transverse thoracic diameter (TTD) were 46.08 ± 3.34%, 12.53 ± 1.63 cm, and  27.05 ± 2.24 cm, respectively. The average values of male TCD and TTD were significantly greater than the mean values of female TCD and TTD (P=0.000) and the reverse holds true for the CTR.  TCD and TTD values increased with age and level of monthly income. In all age groups, the CTR was less than 50%.

Conclusion: The CTR of females was greater than the males (P> 0.05) and compared with other African studies. Age, monthly income, and occupation of the study subjects appeared to alter the values of TCD, TTD, and CTR. Further research on the association between CTR and anthropometric measurements should be conducted.