Interfaces archive
January 26, 2008
Continuous Learning
Maybe old dogs can learn new tricks, as long as the tricks are simple. So, here is yet another adventure into the unknown. I happen to be one of those people who know just enough about computers to be dangerous. Through the years, I have gotten fairly proficient at Adobe Photoshop, knowing that I have just scratched the surface of that great (and expensive) program. My latest effort was to try to help a student understand the radiographic diagnosis of canine hip dysplasia... I took the original radiograph, cut out the femoral heads, and moved them to where they should be.... coloring diagnostic differences. Watcha think??? Steve Martin, move over.
January 30 Interfaces explained
These images may not be right where they belong, but hopefully they will help convey the concepts. So, it's early in the morning. (Well it was when I started this.) I've had my shower and a great Hampton Inn breakfast. After braving a 50 degree drop in temperature and ungodly wind while driving to this place, we were whipped when we arrived. Weather looks promising today, including snow maybe all day long. That thought brought joy to the heart of my bride of 44 years… Her dream is to get snowed in, just like we did at home in northern Indiana as kids. Another long story for another time. Anyway, she isn't quite ready to brave the day yet, so I thought I would take the time to explain the name of this site; interfaces. In my work trying to help veterinary students understand radiographs (x-rays to you non-medical folk), there are now several thousand veterinarians who have had the concept of interfaces beat into their heads by yours truly… How's that for a sentence?
All body parts fall into opacity categories based on their ability to stop x-rays. The more "dense" things like bones stop more rays (opaque to rays = radio-opaque), leaving a white area on the film to represent the bone, while less "dense" things which are less radio-opaque are represented by more dark grey or black areas of the film. In radiology (the study of x-ray) there are 5 different opacity categories;
Gas (in the lungs, stomach, and intestine… ie. Impending farts)
Fat (we all know where that is)Soft tissue and fluid This is muscle, organs such as kidneys, heart, and liver as well as fluids such as blood and urine.
Bone
Metal (such as bone plates or screws)
Looking at the first image, notice the marbling (fat) in the steak. Why would we think that the top radiograph was taken in the summer or the south? (See the fish-hook?)
Now if all of these things were the same opacity, we would not be able to see anything on a radiograph. However it is the INTERFACE between these things of different opacity that allows us to see that they are actually there. In the very thin dog or cat, for instance, you cannot see the edges of the liver or kidneys because there is no interface as all of these soft tissue structures are lying against each other. Most dogs and cats (especially today) have deposited enough fat in their abdomen (belly) that there is fat surrounding nearly all organs. It is this fat/soft tissue interface that allows us to see these organs.
This last radiograph is of a young bulldog who loved to chew on things. You can see the gas in the stomach and bowels. You can barely make out the kidneys as there is just enough fat around them to provide interfaces for their visualization. If you look in her gas filled stomach, you can see a "GI Joe" running toward you. He is made of plastic which in this case is somewhere between soft tissue and mineral opacity interafacing with the gas. There you go with your first lesson in radiographic interpretation. You can see that without opacity interfaces, medical x-rays would be impossible to interpret. We depend on them… And interfaces between people are inevitable. Let's try to keep them as positive as we can. I hope some people get some benefit from this, my feeble attempt to interface with you. Skk
January 31,2008 Two Ply Toilet Paper
This morning I recieved yet another lesson from the most basic source. I got the opportunity to load a new roll of toilet paper in our "home" on the road. Somehow I got it started "between" the 2 plys and I wasted quite a bit before I got it on track. Surely you've faced this dilemma. If not, perhaps you've been rushing through wrapping a present and all of a sudden, the Scotch tape tears obliquely and you lose the end. As you scratch and swear, you're throwing away tape because you can't find the beginning... My experience with the toilet paper reminded me that to some of you whom I have invited to share this interface space, as well as those of you that unsuspectingly stumbled to this place, I have placed you between the plys, and you have not idea where I'm coming from, or going.
After Over 30 years of teaching veterinary radiology in veterinary colleges, I have recently retired. During that time, there were 2 parts of my work that "turned me on". First is the "I got it" expression of students to whom I am attempting to impart understanding of this exciting subject of veterinary radiology. The second most favorite part of my work has been the thrill of the hunt. A radiologist gets to do the discovery work in figuring out what is ailing a patient, while the primary clinician "gets" to manage the case. When I retired, 2 things spurred me to get into the "locum" business. First, I feel I still have something to offer, and second, we want to travel (even outside the USA) and that will take money...
Now I have to take you through another hoop. I am a second generation veterinary radiologist. The pioneers who taught me were the first veterinarians to specialize, creating the first specialty group in the American Veterinary Medical Association, the ACVR. http://www.acvr.org/
During the early portion of my career, veterinary specialists were all in the veterinary colleges, just as many of my collegues are today. About 20 years ago, veterinary specialists, including radiologists began leaving the "hallowed halls" and setting up private specialty practices. These have fluorished doing 2 thing. First they offer specialty veterinary medicine to clients all over the nation (in fact world) in locations far from veterinary colleges. The second affect was that at present veterinary colleges are having considerable difficulty attracting veterinary specialists because private practice is more lucrative and to those who are not driven by the bent to teach or do research, there are fewer "headaches". This is the situation that places me where I am now. At my retirement, I offered myself to veterinary colleges to fill in doing locums *there's that word again. Time for another side trip.
Locum Tenens (shortened to locum) is temporary employment for physicians (and veterinarians?) It's usually a temporary position where you're filling until the position can be filled permanently. However at many veterinary colleges, these positions are filled by a parade of people like myself who are able to move about. So far since June, I have had the opportunity to work at some very neet places, like Purdue University, the University of Illinois and Michigan State University.
Now my bride and I (A term I borrowed from the great veterinary radiologist "Tim" O'Brien) are heading to Oregon State University where we will spend 6 weeks in a locum in addition to finishing a basic radiology course to their students which I started (by remote, web based learning) One fupaw I may have committed is that the first time these students see me in person, I will be administering their first test.... poor planning on my part; hopefully they will get over it.
While we are gone our great neighbors and our children will be watching and somewhat occupying our home.
There, do you feel like you are back at the correct starting place on the roll?
As I started this, I realized that I was at a serious crossroads in which I was about to counter one of my life commandments. I explained the need to bring you up to speed so that you weren't starting in the middle of the movie. However, to some of you, I have broken my "no repeat" rule. There are few movies or TV shows that I can tolerate watching again. A few that slip through for me are "a Christmas Story", "Blazing Saddles", and "Young Frankenstein". Those I can handle. Oh Yes, also "The Villian" ( http://www.imbd.com/title/tt0080097/.
So those of you who already knew all of this are now saying, "why didn't you put that in the beginning so I wouldn't have to read through all of that to find out something I already knew. Hey, I'm just learning. I will share one little experience. Here on the western side of CST, it doesn't get daylight until after 7:30 am on January 31.
For another perspective on our travels, see: http://georgia-wintersong.blogspot.com/
After the long drive yesterday, we got a bit of a late start today. Everything was clicking along just great. We had reservations in Rock Springs, Wyoming, which would have put us ahead of our goal and deep into the mountains. We could take our time and not worry about getting a room, etc.. Then we stopped to fill up and grab a bite on the west side of Laramie... Although we had been listening to traffic radio, we were't prepared to hear that I-80 was closed.. So finding there was a Hampton Inn in Laramie, we called, reserved a room and asked them to cancel our reservation in Rock Springs. I'll let Georgia fill in the details, but we were directed to Grand Avenue Pizza in Laramie.... Wow! was that good. Now we're settling in hoping to get a good start tomorrow (Friday). Here are some pics captured from the web to let you know what we almost got into. That's it.. no wit, just the facts, skk aarrgghh!!! I'm tired of fighting placement of these pics, Sorry, they're going to have to stay as they are
February
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