ABSTRACT
The Norplant contraceptive implant system is a commonly used method of contraception worldwide. Implant placement and removal are usually simple office-based outpatient procedures. Norplant removal can occasionally become difficult, usually secondary to improper insertion. In these instances, we describe a method of Norplant removal that can easily be performed with use of high-resolution fluoroscopy with associated digital subtraction imaging.
Subject(s)
Contraceptive Agents, Female , Device Removal/methods , Levonorgestrel , Arm , Female , Fluoroscopy , HumansABSTRACT
Percutaneous use of an expandable vascular access catheter that can be deployed to temporarily occlude the entry vessel during retrieval of embolic material is described. The catheter was used to facilitate removal of two intraarterial objects, a postangioplasty free atheroma fragment and a displaced Gianturco coil. The expanded catheter end was equal to the arterial lumen, thus preventing distal embolization. The large distal lumen also facilitated plaque or foreign body removal by allowing deployment of various endovascular tools.
Subject(s)
Blood Vessels , Catheterization, Peripheral/instrumentation , Foreign Bodies/therapy , Aged , Arteriosclerosis/therapy , Embolization, Therapeutic/instrumentation , Equipment Design , Female , Femoral Artery/pathology , Hemorrhage/therapy , Humans , Iliac Artery , Polyesters , Silicones , Surface Properties , Surgical MeshABSTRACT
We compared plain chest radiographs, standard (bones white) digitized images, and inverse-intensity (bones black) images to determine their ability to identify pathologically confirmed malignant pulmonary nodules. The images were digitized by using a photo-optical laser scanner and were displayed on a 1024 x 1024 x 8 bit system capable of operator-controlled magnification (2x or 4x) and nonlinear (logarithmic/exponential) contrast transformation in both standard and inverse-intensity modes. Receiver-operator curve analysis was used to study the detection performance of six observers who viewed 40 images obtained in 15 normal subjects and 25 abnormal subjects. There was no statistically significant difference in the area under the ROC curve between the standard digital images and the plain chest radiographs. However, ROC areas were significantly greater (p less than or equal to .05) for inverse-intensity digital images when compared with either standard-intensity digital images or plain chest radiographs. These results suggest that inverse-intensity images may have some advantages in the detection of pulmonary nodules.
