While computed tomography (CT) has become an important imaging modality in the evaluation of the paranasal sinuses, the radiation dose remains higher than is necessary. With use of a head phantom and constant kilovolt peak setting, axial and coronal CT scans of the paranasal sinuses were obtained at each of six successively lower milliampere second settings than are commonly used in clinical practice. Although noise, as measured by the standard deviation of the CT numbers, did increase, images were of diagnostic quality even when dose levels were reduced by a factor of 28. In the same incremental manner, the milliampere second settings used in scanning 90 patients were reduced, with no loss of diagnostic quality. The authors discuss the methods of analysis and the advantages of use of lower milliampere second settings at CT scanning of the sinuses.

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The perfect breast implant fillant material would have higher viscosity than water and would be autologous and harmless. We describe the confinement of liposuction fat in implants using the Lipovacutainer during a routine liposuction procedure. This collected fat is prepared inside the Lipovacutainer and is reinjected through a Lipomedia filling cannula into a leaf valve implant as the fillant in place of saline. The implants are used for bilateral augmentation mammoplasty and breast reconstruction procedures. Our six clinical cases have been monitored closely using mammography and MRI. These cases showed slow liquefaction without interference with mammography studies. We obtained excellent overall body contours. All complications were correctable and non-life-threatening and there was no capsule formation.

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