HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Comstock, G. W. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Comstock, G. W.

Correspondence

Department of Public Health

P. 0. Box 229

Columbus, Georgia

September 30, 1948

Dr. Mark F. Boyd, Editor

American Journal of Tropical Medicine

615 East Sixth Avenue

Tallahassee, Florida

Drs. Clark, Bercovitz and Jones are to be congratulated on their suggestion that pneumoperitoneum be used to demonstrate amebic abscesses of the liver. (Pneumoperitoneum in the Diagnosis of Amebic Liver Abscess, Am. J. Trop. Med., 28: 545, July, 1948.

However, their technic of initiating pneumoperitoneum seems somewhat dangerous. The site of election for the needle puncture varies greatly—personally I feel that a site near enough to the costal margin to allow the operator to steady his hand against the ribs offers a considerable advantage. But to allow the air to flow through the needle during the puncture of the peritoneum would seem quite hazardous. Pneuinoperitoneum is a relatively safe procedure. Puncture of a hollow viscus is rarely accomplished, unless there are adhesions at the site of injection, in which event it does not seem that allowing the air to flow through the needle would avoid this complication.