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The aim of this work was to develop a low-cost automated system to measure the three-dimensional shape of the back in patients with scoliosis. The resulting system uses structured light to illuminate a patient's back from an angle while a digital photograph is taken. The height of the surface is calculated using Fourier transform profilometry with an accuracy of ±1 mm. The surface is related to body axes using bony landmarks on the back that have been palpated and marked with small coloured stickers prior to photographing. Clinical parameters are calculated automatically and presented to the user on a monitor and as a printed report. All data are stored in a database. The database can be interrogated and successive measurements plotted for monitoring the deformity changes. The system developed uses inexpensive hardware and open source software. Accurate surface topography can help the clinician to measure spinal deformity at baseline and monitor changes over time. It can help the patients and their families to assess deformity. Above all it reduces the dependence on serial radiography and reduces radiation exposure when monitoring spinal deformity.

MCGRs improve coronal deformity and maintain spinal growth, but carry a 44.5% complication and 33% unplanned revision rate. Conversion procedures do not increase this risk. Single rods should be avoided. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary material.

It is difficult to offer an alternative to an infective explanation for the present findings. A possible relation between leukaemia in children under 1 year and maternal use of drugs such as marijuana'7 cannot be relevant here, since the period in question long preceded any appreciable use of such drugs in Britain. Similarly, a hypothesis about mutations caused by delayed exposure to immunological challenges'8 cannot be invoked since it would apply only in leukaemia occurring later than the ages that show the excess in this study.The findings support the hypothesis that prompted this study-that the presence of large numbers of servicemen, particularly in rural districts, was conducive to an increase in the incidence of childhood leukaemia. They also point to an infection transmitted among adults, as also implied by a recent study of the effects of the population mixing associated with increases in commuting. ' Design-Randomised study of two treatment groups with a minimum follow up of nine months.Setting-Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. Subjects-51 of 78 menorrhagic women without pelvic pathology who were on the waiting list for abdominal hysterectomy.Treatment-Endometrial resection or abdominal hysterectomy (according to randomisation). Endometrial resections were performed by an experienced hysteroscopic surgeon; hysterectomies were performed by two other gynaecological surgeons.Main outcome measures-Length of operating time, hospitalisation, recovery; cost of surgery; short term results of endometrial resection.Results-Operating time was shorter for endometrial resection (median 30 (range 20-47) minutes) than for hysterectomy (50 (39-74) minutes). The hospital stay for endometrial resection (median 1 (range 1-3) days) was less than for hysterectomy (7 (5-12) days). Recovery after endometrial resection (median 16 (range 5-62) days) was shorter than after hysterectomy (58 (11-125) days). The cost was £407 for endometrial resection and £1270 for abdominal hysterectomy. Four women (16%) who did not have an acceptable improvement in symptoms after endometrial resection had repeat resections. No woman has required hysterectomy during a mean follow up of one year.Conclusion-For women with menorrhagia who have no pelvic pathology endometrial resection is a useful alternative to abdominal hysterectomy, with many short term benefits. Larger numbers and a longer follow up are needed to estimate the incidence of complications and the long term efficacy of endometrial resection. IntroductionEndometrial resection is gaining widespread acceptance as a surgical treatment for menorrhagia. A survey in August 1990 showed that 36 British centres had performed a total of over 4000 endometrial ablation procedures.' Seventy per cent of these were endometrial resections with the urological resectoscope.The technique was initially used for treating intractable uterine bleeding in women who were unfit for hysterectomy because of blood dyscrasias or extreme anaesthetic risk.2 Follow up showed that most remained amenorrhoeic. Tr...

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