Assessment of a Hands-On Seminar on Gastrointestinal Ultrasound.

Transabdominal gastrointestinal (GI) ultrasound (US), despite its utility, is not a common procedure and underappreciated owing to its difficulty to perform. This study aimed to disseminate the skills of GIUS and assess the impact of our hands-on seminar. We annually held a half-day, hands-on seminar on GIUS at University of Toyama Hospital for physicians and sonographers from 2015 to 2017. Two months after the seminar, we inquired about clinical attainment by questionnaire. Out of 55 participants, 46 (83.6%) returned their questionnaires. Twenty participants (43.5%) reported that they had successfully diagnosed at least one GI disorder via GIUS since the seminar. Residual analyses stratified by the participants' background showed that the novices, those having < 2 years' experience in performing abdominal US, or no prior knowledge of GIUS, had significantly lower attainment rates (23.5% and 12.5%, respectively) than the others. Participants with 2 to 5 years' experience in performing abdominal US or with some knowledge of GIUS had much higher rates of diagnosing GI disorders (54.5% and 57.9%, respectively). Nearly half of the participants had identified GI disorders using GIUS in 2 months following the training. The hands-on seminar was beneficial in disseminating these skills among a wide range of US operators.

Clinical application of cone beam computed tomography for ideal absorbable membrane placement in interproximal bone defects.

When a guided tissue regeneration (GTR) membrane is placed in an interproximal area, adjustment of the membrane is difficult because of the complex anatomy of the root surface and presence of bone defects, thus prolonging the surgery. This report describes the clinical application of cone beam computed tomography (CT) images to aid insertion of a barrier membrane in the treatment of interproximal bone defects. Using CT images, the membrane can be pre-cut into the optimal shape to cover the bone defect and fit the roots tightly, thus shortening the time required to adjust the GTR membrane, and providing excellent clinical outcomes.

Angiogenesis in newly augmented bone observed in rabbit calvarium using a titanium cap.

OBJECTIVES: In our previous work using a rabbit experimental model, we identified the importance of using a rigid support device for augmenting the development of mineralized bone. In the early stage of healing, newly generated tissue has not filled occlusive spaces, and mineralized bone forms and tends to climb along the inner wall of a device. Even though the blood supply is critical for successful bone augmentation, few studies have been conducted on angiogenesis in augmented bone. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a method for observing angiogenesis in newly augmented bone. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The right and left sections of the calvarium of six adult male Japanese white rabbits were exposed. The cortical bone was penetrated, and custom-made, standardized, hemispherical titanium caps were fixed to the exposed bone. The caps on the right side of each rabbit were filled with granulated beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP). After a healing period of 1 month, the animals were injected with MICROFIL into the right and left common carotid arteries to form a three-dimensional cast of the vasculature, and the newly generated blood vessels in the augmented bone were observed. RESULTS: The newly generated blood vessels were observed entering the space beyond the existing calvarial bone. Furthermore, angiogenesis was seen to have occurred to a similar extent through the inter-granular beta-TCP in the right caps. These areas of angiogenesis were observed in a histological study with cross-sections. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that this observation method allows the examination of angiogenesis in hard tissue before the preparation of histological specimens.