Biomedical subjects

H G Rutherford

Publications and source records attributed to H G Rutherford.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1979

Automated nerve fiber counting using an array processor in a multi-minicomputer system.

It has been suggested that recovery of motor and sensory function in the site distal to a peripheral nerve lesion should be improved if the nerve bundles (fasciculi) are matched and individually sutured. Three parameters are proposed to provide quantitative data: the count of the nerve fibers that regenerate, the number of functional regenerated nerve fibers, and a measurement of end organ reinnervation. A thin cross section of a transected and repaired sciatic nerve of a mongrel cat is fixed, stained, photographed, and digitized through a microscope 6 months following nerve repair. The data arrays are then subjected to four basic processing routines: edge enhancing, thresholding, template matching, and peak detection. Finally, the peaks are counted and provide an estimate of the number of nerve fibers in the nerve under study. Comparing counts of nerve fibers proximal and distal to the transection site of the nerve provide data on the proportion of regeneration present at various times. The content of this paper is, to a large extent, describing the implementation of the needed image-processing algorithms for automated counting on the Multi-MiniComputer System (MMCS). Optimal use of the AP-120B array processor and the pipeline processing provided by using the Eclipse 200s and the Nova 3 make a marked improvement in overall throughput.

Animals↗

PubMed1979

Usefulness of preoperative screening tests in perioperative respiratory therapy.

The incidence of postoperative pulmonary morbidity was studied in 910 surgical patients who had received preoperative screening by routine history-physical examinations, chest x-ray, and spirometry. Retrospective data were correlated with results of the preoperative screening procedures to calculate accuracy and efficiency of each test and test-combination. Use of the data to predict total cost of therapy, and cost per patient benefited, is described for a protocol of perioperative respiratory therapy when it is administered to all patients with positive screening tests. The optimum screening procedure is identified by comparison. It was shown that when an optimum screening procedure is used, with therapy administered only to patients with positive screening tests, about 80% of at-risk patients can be identified preoperatively and the cose of therapy can be reduced by up to 50%, or, in a selected population, by up to 75%. A screening procedure using all three of the tests studied, in combination, was shown to provide maximum economy of therapy with minimum loss of efficiency. The routine history-physical examination alone, for identification of at-risk patients, was shown to be inaccurate and inefficient. Spirometry was shown to be equally as useful as chest x-ray in improving the accuracy and efficiency of screening procedures.

California↗