Fiducial marker placement using endobronchial ultrasound and navigational bronchoscopy for stereotactic radiosurgery: an alternative strategy.

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery is being increasingly used to treat patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) who are not candidates for surgical resection. Stereotactic radiosurgery usually needs fiducial markers (FMs) for the tracking process. FMs have generally been placed using percutaneous computed axial tomography scan guidance.

Mesenteric ischemia in the elderly.

Intestinal ischemia is a relatively common disorder in the elderly and, if not treated promptly, still carries a high morbidity and mortality rate. High degree of clinical suspicion is of paramount importance in diagnosis, because there is no specific laboratory test available and physical examination findings may be subtle. Once the diagnosis is made, management relies on early resuscitation, identification, and treatment of the predisposing conditions, along with careful planning of the therapeutic invasive interventions, which altogether may help reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with this condition.

Facemasks and facial deposition of aerosols.

Passage of aerosol around or through a facemask can result in deposition on the face and in the eyes. The present study quantified facial and eye deposition in a model simulating drug delivery to a young child. Aerosol delivery and facial deposition of radiolabeled saline test aerosols were studied in vitro with filters and a gamma camera.

Effect of tubing deposition, breathing pattern, and temperature on aerosol mass distribution measured by cascade impactor.

Aerosols produced by nebulizers are often characterized on the bench using cascade impactors. We studied the effects of connecting tubing, breathing pattern, and temperature on mass-weighted aerodynamic particle size aerosol distributions (APSD) measured by cascade impaction. Our experimental setup consisted of a piston ventilator, low-flow (1.