To enhance the clarity of angiographic images, a diaphragmatic compensating filter (DCF) covering the sub-phrenic portion was constructed. The required shape of a DCF for a high optical density part of the angiograms was determined by the distribution limit of the outline of the diaphragms, but the shape of the low optical density part could not be specified. The smallest tolerance of a DCF for the respiratory motion of a diaphragm was 13.2 mm at the film. Thus, a DCF was effective in more than 95.8% of angiograms. Our clinical results showed remarkable improvement in those images. The clinical areas between radiographic images with and without a DCF were improved by more than 27% according to an image analysis system. Therefore a DCF is indispensable in conventional hepatic angiography and digital subtraction angiography. In addition, only one type of a DCF is possible for use in combination with lateral compensating filters.
A total of 5,323 appointments from July 1987 to June 1988 was entered into the study. They showed that for the 12 month period the rate of non-attendance was 5%. The non-attender was most likely to have been referred from a GP for a barium meal and be from the age group 16-25. The district the patient came from had little influence. Non-attendance is not affected by the number of appointments given and if compared to the previous year shows a similar monthly pattern. This pattern does not appear to be influenced by the weather but would seem affected to some extent by holiday periods. Reasons for non-attendance were collected on 51 patients. The main reason given was illness. A large group had had no further contact with the referral source. The cost of staffing for non-attendance was considered to be low when compared to the whole budget. The effect of non-attendance on the waiting list is now minimal. Taking this into account the main recommendations are that: a specified senior member of staff should be responsible for the appointment system and inter-departmental liaison; instruction/appointment confirmation sheets should be reviewed; and the counselling service should be improved. Now the population served has been demographically recorded we can look towards providing for its needs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A number of schools of diagnostic radiography were surveyed by questionnaire to establish current trends and status of psychology teaching. The results show that methods used are split fairly equally between experiential and nonexperiential techniques. Reasons for the utilisation of role play methods are explored, and several comments are reproduced concerning the future of psychology teaching and aspirations for the future.
The present study indicates that student radiographers, on the whole, experience stresses similar to those of other healthcare student groups. Students are more stressed due to pressure relating to the curriculum and demands of radiography education and training. Students were also anxious when having to deal with death and severely ill patients. Poor inter-personal relationships coupled with lack of adequate support, especially from senior members of staff, is another area of concern. Literature on social support does suggest that with adequate support groups the effects of stress can be reduced. While it is clear that overseas student report more stress than home students, it remains unclear whether this finding is due to their actual experience or to a tendency to report problems more intensely on questionnaires. The present sample of overseas students indicates that they have similar stresses as those of home students, especially academic work and inter-personal relationships. One area that produced significant differences between the two groups was the 'feeling of homesickness', which produced greater distress among overseas students. This was not an unexpected finding and available literature on overseas students does suggest this problem. However, an interesting finding in this study is that overseas students feel unhappy over the quality of their education and career choice, and are lacking in motivation. Although such feelings exist among home students they are of more concern to overseas students. It is not possible to identify the cause of such feelings but they could be due to feelings of homesickness which produces negative evaluation of the curriculum. On the other hand, further work needs to be done to identify whether radiography education and training fails to fulfill the aspirations and career needs of the overseas students.
Liz Hodgkinson, Jane Metcalfe Vermilion, pounds sterling 8.99, pp 150 ISBN 0 09 178980 X Unconventional clinics for patients with cancer have long existed in other parts of the world, but not in Britain. In 1971 so great was the public interest in the Issels clinic in Bavaria—after the athlete Lillian Board had been a patient there—that Sir David Smithers and two other cancer specialists were asked by the government of the day to visit and report back. They found little to say in its favour, but this probably served only to increase the enthusiasm of Penny Brohn, an acupuncturist and young mother, devastated to find some years after this that she had localised breast cancer. After “nine long, lonely weeks” in the clinic at a cost of around pounds sterling100 a day she returned to Bristol, where she “talked excitedly, feverishly, about her plans for setting up something like the Issels Clinic in the UK”—saying to her friend and cofounder, Pat Pilkington, “together, we've got …
This study reviewed the findings from ultrasound reports and medical notes of 303 patients examined by ultrasound between January 1985 and December 1987. It established the accuracy with which ultrasound could diagnose the cause of obstructive jaundice at 49.5%. A correlation was discovered between the actual pathology causing the obstruction and biliary dilatation and the degree to which the common duct became dilated. Further research into this area using a greater number of statistics is required before this can be applied in a clinical situation, but generalisations were formulated and could be used as guidelines to suggest, rather than state, the possible cause of the common duct obstruction. The following mean diameters for seven pathologies were established: duodenal (8.4 mm); cholecystitis (8.7mm); cholecystectomy (9.5mm); lymph nodes (9.5mm); pancreatitis (9.8mm); duct stones (11.0 mm); and pancreatic carcinoma (14 mm).
