American journal of surgery
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Comparative Study
Avoidance of artifacts on computerized tomograms by selection of appropriate surgical clips.
Surgical clips (metallic or plastic) are frequently used for hemostasis and tumor marking. This study evaluated the radiographic and computerized tomographic appearance of different clips and their relative interference with computerized tomographic scans. Metallic clips (stainless steel, tantalum, and titanium) can all be seen on plain radiographs. ⋯ Recent studies have suggested that there may be some risk of torsion of stainless steel clips in nuclear magnetic resonance scanners resulting in tissue damage. Absorbable plastic clips cannot be seen on plain film but are visualized on computerized tomographic scans and do not appear to cause scan artifact. Overall, we recommend the use of either titanium hemostatic clips when tumor marking on plain film is required or plastic clips when tumor marking is less important.
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A review of 83 patients with penetrating neck wounds was performed to assess the relative merits of operation versus observation. Fifty patients (60 percent) underwent immediate surgery, 28 of whom (56 percent) had no significant neck injury. There were no deaths and only two complications (4 percent). ⋯ Length of hospital stay did not differ between patients with negative findings on exploration and those observed. When clinical signs as indications for surgery were present, management was more often correct than when signs were absent (82 and 52 percent, respectively), but the presence or absence of signs correctly predicted injury or lack of injury in over 80 percent of the patients. These data demonstrate the safety and efficacy of selective observation of patients with penetrating neck trauma, and confirm that clinical signs are a reliable indicator of significant injury.