A biomechanical study of headless compression screws versus a locking plate in radial head fracture fixation.

Hypothesis: Fixation of a 3-part radial head fracture with cannulated compression screws will show equivalent stiffness to a locking plate under axial load. Debate exists regarding the management of Mason type III fractures, with many believing that open reduction and internal fixation provides advantages over other options. By virtue of their subarticular placement, screw fixation is less likely to cause impingement compared with plate fixation, which can result in loss of rotation and requirement for hardware removal.

A composite fibre optic catheter for monitoring peristaltic transit of an intra-luminal bead.

A fibre optic motion sensor has been developed for monitoring the proximity and direction of motion of a ferrous bead travelling axial to the sensor. By integrating an array of these sensors into our previously developed fibre optic manometry catheters we demonstrate simultaneous detection of peristaltic muscular activity and the associated motion of ferrous beads through a colonic lumen. This allows the motion of solid content to be temporally and spatially related to pressure variations generated by peristaltic contractions without resorting to videoflouroscopy to track the motion of a radio opaque bolus.

A fibre optic catheter for simultaneous measurement of longitudinal and circumferential muscular activity in the gastrointestinal tract.

Diagnostic catheters based on fibre Bragg gratings (FBG's) are proving to be highly effective for measurement of the muscular activity associated with motility in the human gut. While the primary muscular contractions that generate peristalsis are circumferential in nature, it has long been known that there is also a component of longitudinal contractility present, acting in harmony with the circumferential component to improve the overall efficiency of material movement. We report the detection of longitudinal motion in mammalian intestine using an FBG technique that should be viable for similar detection in humans.

Design of a high-sensor count fibre optic manometry catheter for in-vivo colonic diagnostics.

The design of a fibre Bragg grating based manometry catheter for in-vivo diagnostics in the human colon is presented. The design is based on a device initially developed for use in the oesophagus, but in this instance, longer sensing lengths and increased flexibility were required to facilitate colonoscopic placement of the device and to allow access to the convoluted regions of this complex organ. The catheter design adopted allows the number of sensing regions to be increased to cover extended lengths of the colon whilst maintaining high flexibility and the close axial spacing necessary to accurately record pertinent features of peristalsis.

Deterministic control of thin film thickness in physical vapor deposition systems using a multi-aperture mask.

A technique for controlling the thickness profile of a thin film in physical vapor deposition systems is reported. The technique uses a novel mask design with apertures of varying dimension to selectively deposit the required film thickness at predetermined locations across the aperture of the substrate. The technique has been used to correct the thickness uniformity of a 55 mm diameter, 280 microm thick, lithium niobate wafer to less than 0.