The British journal of radiology
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False aneurysm formation at the site of iliac artery stent placement is an uncommon but serious complication of the procedure. We report a case of infected false aneurysm at the site of an iliac stent, complicated by renal failure.
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The hands of the surgeon are most likely to be directly exposed to ionizing radiation during fluoroscopic screening in the orthopaedic theatre. There is however little information available on the level of exposure to radiation during the normal working pattern of individual surgeons. The purpose of this study was to directly measure the radiation exposure to the hands during fluoroscopic screening in a series of consecutive cases over a month in order to establish whether these staff need to be designated classified persons, and if not, whether they need to be routinely monitored. ⋯ In 80% of procedures the dose of radiation to the surgeon's hand was less than 100 microSv. The extrapolated annual dose, even for the surgeon with the highest radiation exposure, was well below the annual dose limit for extremities of 500 mSv per year recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, and embodied in the Ionizing Radiations Regulations 1985. Despite the relatively low doses of radiation received by surgeons in this study, occupational exposure to all personnel should be kept to the lowest practicable levels, and a review of procedures, including dose measurements, from time to time is advised.
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A case is described in which inspissated barium was retained in the colon for 16 months before causing large bowel obstruction. To our knowledge this is the first case described in which the time interval between barium ingestion and the onset of symptoms was more than a few weeks. Scybalum formation is due to resorption of water from the barium sulphate, which although less common with modern preparations, still appears to be possible in certain high-risk patients. Prolonged retention of barium should be avoided by increased awareness of the problem, encouraging patients to eat and drink normally after the examination, encouraging mobility and administration of lactulose in high risk patients.
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Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is the adopted term for the technique which enables endoluminal ultrasound to be performed using a specially designed endoscope with a fixed piezoelectric transducer. Since initial reports described the use of this technique in patients, its use in clinical practice in Europe, the Far East and the USA has been steadily increasing over the past few years. At present the technique is only practised in a very few centres in the UK but it is likely that this will increase in the future. This article describes the present day value of EUS in evaluating gastric pathology.