[Imaging of abdominal hernias by herniography. Imaging technique, results and tolerance in 67 patients]. / Die Darstellung abdominaler Hernien durch die Herniographie. Untersuchungstechnik, Resultate und Verträglichkeit bei 67 Patienten.

PURPOSE: Role of herniography in patients with unexplained pain and/or clinically doubtful hernia of the abdominal wall, especially after previous operation (for hernia). Patient tolerance and side effects of herniography. MATERIAL AND METHODS: After puncture of the linea alba caudal of the umbilicus water soluble low osmolar contrast medium is injected into the peritoneal cavity. 8 radiographs of the inguinal region are taken. In order to visualize umbilical and cicatricial hernias tangential projections of the anterior abdominal wall are taken in ventral decubitus. In 67 Patients herniography was performed with the following indications: groin pain in 47, groin swelling or anterior abdominal wall swelling in 7, pain in the groin combined with swelling or other indications in 6, other indications in 12. 20 Patients had previously been operated for an inguinal hernia. In order to evaluate possible side effects 57 patients filled out a questionnaire. RESULTS: 66 herniographies were performed successfully. In 31 Patients a total of 51 hernias was found: 18 indirect, 21 direct inguinal hernias, 1 femoral hernia, 4 umbilical hernias, 1 epigastric and 6 incisional hernias. In the group with recurrent hernias, direct inguinal hernias predominated. Subsequently 12 patients were operated. In 11 cases the presence and type of the radiologically diagnosed hernias was confirmed. 1 Patient had a false negative result. No serious side effects were noted. 9 Patients had slight abdominal discomfort during or shortly after the examination. One patient with a persistent open tunica vaginalis testis experienced painless scrotal swelling. CONCLUSION: Hernias of the abdominal wall can be well demonstrated and classified by herniography with little side effects.

Vibration in car repair work.

The main objective of the study was to find efficient hand tools which caused only minor vibration loading. Vibration measurements were carried out under standardised working conditions. The time during which car body repairers in seven companies were exposed to vibration was determined. Chisel hammers, impact wrenches, sanders and saws were the types of tools which generated the highest vibration accelerations. The average daily exposure at the different garages ranged from 22 to 70 min. The risk of vibration injury is currently rated as high. The difference between the highest and lowest levels of vibration was considerable in most tool categories. Therefore the choice of tool has a major impact on the magnitude of vibration exposure. The importance of choosing the right tools and working methods is discussed and a counselling service on vibration is proposed.

A test rig for the measurement of vibration in hand-held power tools.

The purpose of the present project was to study the possibility of using a test rig for the measurement of vibration and noise from hand-held power tools. A test rig was designed to give the same effect on tool handle vibration as the human hand/arm system. Work was simulated by feeding the material to be processed against the tool, clamped into the rig, with the aid of a co-ordinate table. It was designed for use in studies of impact drills, chain saws, grinders and similar power tools. The report describes a proposal for testing the vibration properties of impact drills. Drilling with the test rig was compared with manual drilling. The difference in the acceleration level between the two methods was about 1 dB for ISO-weighted values in the critical direction. Both methods showed good reproducibility. The possibility of conducting noise level tests of a power tool in the rig was studied and the results are reported separately.