Search

In a retrospective approach the medical records and radiographs of 618 patients with midfacial trauma were reviewed by radiologists who were classified into four groups according to the length of their training and experience. Initially reported diagnoses were compared with discharge diagnoses, and the impact of training and experience on diagnostic performance was assessed. The same parameters were also investigated in a prospective study. Neither of the investigations revealed any statistically significant improvement in diagnostic performance with increased training and experience. After the basic radiologic education, innate perceptive and cognitive abilities seem to have a larger influence on radiologic diagnostic preformance than training and experience.

The initial reports on radiologic examinations in 618 consecutive patients with midfacial injuries were compared with the final clinical diagnoses. Alcohol had to some degree been imbibed by 31 per cent of the patients. Influence of alcohol was 3 times more common outside than within office hours. Radiographic analysis included estimation of blurring, errors in straightness, angulation, beam centering and limitation. Image quality was scored as visibility of ‘the imaginary lines of bony continuity’. There was no statistically significant correlation between the degree of inebriety and image quality or diagnostic performance with the radiographic technique used, with the patient supine. There is no need to postpone midfacial radiography in inebriate patients.

The aim of this investigation was to establish an animal model for studying fractionated intraarterial treatment of a rabbit kidney VX-2 carcinoma. As repeated catheterizations and drug infusions may cause vascular lesions, we wanted to find whether the rabbit renal artery could be catheterized several times within a short period of time with acceptable iatrogenic vascular trauma. Each of 3 groups of rabbits with implanted renal VX-2 carcinoma were treated 3 times with either 1) temporary renal artery occlusion combined with infusion (occlusion infusion) of a) physiologic saline (OIS) or b) doxorubicin (OID), or 2) with renal artery infusion of doxorubicin. OID was administered in 20 of 21 attempts, OIS in 21 of 24, and infusion of doxorubicin in 20 of 21 attempts. Renal arterial spasm was seen in 5 of 22 rabbits, rarely at the first catheterization, more frequently during the second and third. Permanent iatrogenic vascular trauma occurred in 4 of 15 rabbits after the second and third occlusion infusion. We conclude that the rabbit kidney with implanted VX-2 carcinoma may be a useful model for testing fractionation schemes for multiple intraarterial infusions of antineoplastic drugs.