3D-printed procedural task trainer for the aspiration of penile corpus cavernosa in ischaemic priapism.

OBJECTIVE: The development and initial clinical assessment of a novel 3D-printed procedural task trainer for the aspiration of penile corpus cavernosa in ischaemic priapism. METHODS: A task trainer for the aspiration of penile corpus cavernosa was designed and manufactured using commercially available 3D printing equipment. The trainer was assessed in two separate training sessions led by faculty investigators. Participants in the sessions were asked to complete a post-procedure survey with regards to the utility and realism of the task trainer. RESULTS: The participants (n = 14) covered a broad spectrum of clinician types. The trainer was perceived by the participants as being anatomically realistic, and especially while under drapes provided a reasonable facsimile of real clinical setup. The trainer proved resilient to multiple attempts at aspiration by multiple participants. CONCLUSIONS: Participant and facilitator feedback indicates that the task trainer is a useful platform to train for what is a low frequency, but high stakes, procedure. Small numbers of participants preclude statistical rigour and certainty regarding overall performance of the trainer. However, the uniformity in the responses would suggest that this is indeed a task trainer that is 'fit for purpose'.

Design and fabrication of pulmonary embolism phantom for planar and SPECT V/Q imaging quality assurance.

Planar and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scintigraphy are the two main modalities for pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosis via lung ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scans. This study aims to develop an anatomical lung phantom for the quality assurance (QA) of V/Q scans using planar and SPECT imaging. The phantom consists of two hollow anatomical lung cavities and 20 solid anatomical bronchopulmonary segments. The phantom functions as a PE simulator by enabling an interchangeable perfusion defect, represented by a solid anatomical bronchopulmonary segment, to be introduced into each of the lung cavities. These cavities are filled with expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads immersed in a 99mTc solution, which simulates the alveoli. The anatomical 'dead space' due to the solid introduced segment represents a perfusion defect in lung V/Q scans. In this study, a sample anatomical PE event was simulated. The phantom was prepared with a perfusion defect within the posterior basal segment in the left lung. Images were acquired for subsequent qualitative analysis. This study has demonstrated promising results in the simulation of PE events in lungs. Further development is warranted for the phantom to be used as a viable QA tool in V/Q lung scanning using planar or SPECT imaging.

Measurement of scatter radiation from the GE Infinia Hawkeye 4 SPECT/CT system.

In this study the cumulative scatter dose from a typical monthly SPECT/CT workload on a new GE Infinia Hawkeye 4 system was measured by means of a dosimeter badge survey. Doses were found to be well within regulatory limits. Scatter dose rates attributable solely to the CT component were also measured experimentally for comparison with the manufacturer's isocontour plot. The measured CT dose rate isocontours were found to be of similar magnitude and location to those quoted by the manufacturer. Data generated from this study will form a valuable baseline for the monitoring of equipment performance and for future scatter radiation measurements.

Low-dose infectivity of Staphylococcus aureus (SMH strain) in traumatized rat tibiae provides a model for studying early events in contaminated bone injuries.

Animal models of post-traumatic acute osteomyelitis (OM) that closely mimic human scenarios, including infection prophylactic procedures such as debridement and lavage, may provide a better understanding of OM. We contaminated mechanically traumatized rat tibiae (n = 69) with various doses of a Staphylococcus aureus strain (SMH) known to cause human OM and then performed curettage and lavage. Tibiae were harvested 24 h after lavage for assessment of bacterial load and determination of minimal infective doses for 50% (ID50) and 95% (ID95) of rats. Some experiments varied tibial harvest time after lavage (n = 10); for progressive infection, tibiae were evaluated at 7 and 15 days after contamination (n = 17 for each time point). At 24 h after contamination, the ID50 was 1.8 x 10(3) CFU, and the ID95 was 9.2 x 10(3) CFU. Tibial bacterial loads did not increase with inocula greater than the ID95. Lavage removed many bacteria from bone, but it did not prevent subsequent infection or disease. At 15 days after contamination, most tibiae (14 of 17) were infected, with macroscopic and radiological signs of established OM. This newly described rat OM model, with a low ID95 despite prophylactic curettage and lavage, closely mimics events in contaminated human bone injuries. This situation will allow study of early factors in contaminated bone injuries, including clinical interventions that may reduce infection and prevent disease.