INTRODUCTION Prostate carcinoma (and other prostate irregularities and abnormalities) is detected in part via the digital rectal examination. Training clinicians to use particular palpation techniques may be one way to improve the rates of detection. METHODS In an experiment of 34 participants with clinical backgrounds, we used a custom-built simulator to determine whether certain finger palp...

Pregnancy diagnosis is widely practiced in cattle production systems. Ultrasonography is an alternative technique to rectal palpation for pregnancy diagnosis. Fetal losses caused by rectal palpation are well documented; however, reported losses from ultrasonography for pregnancy diagnosis are often confounded by normal embryonic losses during early gestation. Losses caused by inexperienced tech...

BACKGROUND Breast reconstruction is associated with high levels of patient satisfaction. Previous patient satisfaction studies have been subjective. This study utilizes functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to objectively evaluate "sense of self" following deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction in an attempt to better understand patient perception. METHOD...

PURPOSE To determine the ability of a novel palpation device to differentiate between benign and malignant tissues of the kidney and bladder by measuring tissue elasticity. MATERIALS AND METHODS A novel palpation device was developed, mainly composed of a micromotor, a linear position sensor, a force transducer, and a hemisphere tip and cylindrical body probe. Motion calibration as well as pe...