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A total of 236 gastric and small-intestine specimens have been obtained from 68 patients on 85 occasions with the Baker-Hughes multiple-retrieving gastro-intestinal biopsy tube. The biopsy technic was the same as that originally described with only a few modifications which are presented. Thirty-five gastric specimens were obtained from 19 patients. In each case, the amount of tissue was adequate. Two hundred and one small-intestine specimens were obtained from 62 patients, and tissue for histologic examination was adequate in 193. Although functioning on hydraulic principles, the Baker-Hughes biopsy tube requires no specialized pumping apparatus for delivery of the tissue and, therefore, has the advantages of economy and simplicity of operation. On 5 of the 85 occasions we have used the Baker-Hughes multiple-retrieving biopsy tube, there have been complications: 2 patients had bleeding and 3 had a “postbiopsy syndrome.”

Use of lumbar spine films was evaluated in a retrospective review of 1,095 lumbar radiological examinations in 871 patients. Patients' histories and physical examination findings were correlated with four groups of radiological findings: (1) radiologically normal, (2) incidental findings unrelated to patients' complaints, (3) diagnostic films compatible with symptoms, and (4) radiological findings of questionable clinical significance. The high percentage of nondiagnostic and questionable results suggests overuse of lumbar spine films. Forty-six percent of all studies in this investigation were normal or had incidental findings, and an additional 31.8% had radiological findings of questionable clinical significance. Three hundred seventy-five follow-up examinations (64.2%) demonstrated no radiological interval changes. Radiation exposure and medical cost of noncontributory studies may be substantially reduced by judicious consideration of the potential diagnostic yield of the examination and by careful selection of repeated or follow-up studies. ( JAMA 1981;246:1105-1108)