James S. Watson

Cinefluorographic analysis of the mechanism of swallowing.

In their work on the swallowing mechanism, the early investigators can at least be said not to have overlooked the anatomical probabilities. They found it logical to assume, for instance, that each of the mobile structures and muscles along the upper food channel must necessarily play an active part in the mechanism—“the uppermost first, and then according to their station.” This broad assumption, by the way, has never been successfully disputed, and it gives to the rather speculative views of 18th century authorities such as Boerhaave (1) and Haller (2) a comprehensiveness not always evident in more recent work on the subject. Even comprehensiveness, however, can be overdone, as in Boerhaaves over-elaborate and confusing explanation of laryngeal airway protection. The experimental physiologist Magendie (1783–1855) did much to clarify and give perspective to the older views. We know that he first became interested in the problem while he was still an aide in anatomy at the Paris Faculty, and that his the...

Cinefluorographic Studies of the Bladder and Urethra in Women

Abstract Cinefluorography has been adapted to the study of the bladder and urethra in women. From 500 to 2,000 frames can be made for each patient. Projection of these motion pictures provides a new technique for the study of normal and abnormal urination. Further study will be necessary before the method can be applied clinically.

Combined Intraluminal Esophageal Pressure Studies with Synchronous Cinefluorography

Improved surgical and anesthetic technics permit removal or correction of esophageal lesions by thoracotomy in an increasing number of patients. For this reason, more precise anatomic and physiologic diagnosis is required. Since criteria for the roentgen diagnosis of hiatal herniation are disputed, and because the clinical significance of minimal to moderate degrees of herniation is often uncertain, a study was undertaken to evolve more specific criteria. A second objective was to evaluate these criteria by applying them to groups of patients in different age groups and over long periods of time. Initially, 300 cinefluorograms of the distal esophagus were reviewed. These were classified in three groups: (a) normal, (b) hiatal herniation, (c) other lesions. These interpretations were compared with the clinical histories of the patients and correlation between the roentgen diagnosis and the clinical impression was found to be poor. A restudy of the same group of cinefluorograms showed considerable intra-and...

Stereo X-Ray Motion Pictures

In stereoradiography, image displacement is obtained either by shifting the x-ray tube, or, less often, by keeping the tube stationary and rotating the subject through a few degrees of angle between exposures. Either of the methods can be applied to stereo cinefluorography, but the rotational method has the advantage of not requiring special x-ray equipment. A single-film projector having two picture apertures for stereo projection of rotational films is described.

A polyamine formaldehyde resin. IV. Clinical evaluation in the treatment of duodenal ulcer.

The literature concerning the use of an anion exchange resin in the treatment of peptic ulcer has been reviewed.

Observations on the gastric secretion in two duodenal ulcer patients during the prolonged injections of an enterogastrone concentrate.

Summary Two patients with chronic duodenal ulcers were given an enterogastrone concentrate intramuscularly in average daily doses of 200 mg. six times a week for seven to nine months. The effect of the prolonged administration of this enterogastrone concentrate on the nine hour nocturnal secretion and on the secretory response to histamine and insulin was noted. There was no significant change observed in pH, free and total acid values as expressed in clinical units (m.eq./l.) or peptic activity in the nocturnal, histamine, and insulin studies during the course of treatment as compared with the control periods. In both cases during the course of treatment a decrease in total volume and the m.eq. of total HCl output was observed in the nocturnal secretions. There was a reduction of total volume and m.eq. of both free and total HCl output in the insulin stimulated gastric secretions. These values were not affected with the histamine test. It is realized that the overall significance of these observations is limited because the study was confined to only two patients.

A 35-mm. Unit for Cinefluorography

During the planning of the 35-mm. apparatus here described, the Department of Radiology was fortunate in having access to a 16-mm. unit assembled some ten years previously by engineers of the Eastman Kodak Co. under the supervision of Mr. Rex Willsey. Basically it consists of an f/0.81 cine lens of 4.1 cm. focal length made at the Eastman factory after a lens formula of B. Luboshez,2 and a Cine-Kodak Special camera with an unusually rapid pull-down or intermittent, which at normal camera speed moves the film into place in about one-fourth the time required by the conventional film shuttle. This Kodak experimental unit was designed primarily for ease and simplicity of operation. Recently the lens has been coated, and a Patterson B2 screen installed, increasing the photographic speed by more than 50 per cent. Probably no combination of this sort, using a refractor lens, requires less x-ray energy to expose the film. The new 35-mm. unit, while slightly inferior in photographic speed, embodies certain well tr...

A 70-mm. Cinefluorographic Camera and Its Relation to Detail!

So long as the x-ray motion picture is regarded as a supplement of the fluoroscopic examination and is judged by fluoroscopic standards, the detail and definition of the small film will not appear too unsatisfactory. Any moving object conspicuous enough to be at all perceptible on the fluoroscopic screen will be still more plainly visible on a properly taken motion picture film. Indeed the cinefluorographic record can be said to have no equal in clearing up doubtful fluoroscopic findings having to do with disturbances of swallowing, calcifications within and around the heart, and abnormal movements of the diaphragm or mediastinum. When cinefluorography is applied to subjects outside the fluoroscopic range, and especially when it is applied to research problems, the lack of definition is not so easy to put up with. In this kind of work repeated viewing of the film as a motion picture is not enough. The investigator will want to compare different stages of the action side by side on individual frames of fil...

A 16-MM, 35-MM PROCESSING MACHINE FOR CINEFLUOROGRAPHIC FILMS.

Despite the variety of processing machines for motion-picture films already available commercially, there is still a pronounced gap between the largest machine commonly used for cinefluorography (capacity 1,000 ft. per eight-hour day) and the next larger size (capacity 8,000 ft.). The larger machines require some 300 ft. of leader, which is enough to cause a loss of time in processing the separate short lengths of film, a frequent need in cinefluorography. When it became obvious that the daily output of film from our department (University of Rochester, Department of Radiology) would soon exceed 1,000 ft., it was decided that rather than purchase an 8,000-ft. machine, it would be better to build a new one of intermediate size, especially designed to meet cinefluorographic requirements. Since our work involves both 16-mm and 35-mm films, a design which would process both sizes with a minimal changeover time was an important consideration. Not all the larger machines will process both sizes of film and thos...