SUMMARY Foils coated with specific cholesterol esters indicate differences in temperature by changes in color. When these foils are placed on the skin, the skin temperature measured is related to the perfusion provided by the vessels supplying this area of the skin. A group of 300 patients were examined simultaneously with plate thermograph)' and directional Doppler sonography in order to detect obstruction or occlusions of the carotid artery. Abnormalities were found in 42 patients. In 31, the positive findings obtained by the 2 methods were in agreement. In 8 only plate thermography gave a positive result, and in 3 only Doppler sonography yielded a relevant finding. Plate thermography as a method for the detection of a stenosis or an occlusion of the carotid artery is suggested as useful for an initial screening method.

A 23-year-old man with follicular thyroid carcinoma and cervical lymph node metastases showed a clear I focus on the skull after radioiodine therapy; therefore, an osseous metastasis was suspected. I and MRI fusion suggested the I focus to be adjacent to an epicranial suture from an early childhood trepanation for epidural hematoma. Radio-guided surgery found dark brown material to be the source of the radiation and successfully removed the material. Subsequent electron microscopy revealed a thread within the dark brown material, suggesting suture material as the cause of I accumulation.

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is, next to conventional home dialysis, a world-wide method of treating chronic renal failure. This is the report of clinical experience of 34 CAPD patients who, from October 1978 to the end of 1983, had undergone 642 treatment months. The incidence of peritonitis after introduction of a new connector system in 1983 was reduced to 1 per 46 CAPD treatment months. In only 7 patients was it necessary to discontinue CAPD for reasons connected with the type of dialysis. No patient requested discontinuance of CAPD. Suitable bag and tube materials, adequate space, and well trained personnel are decisive for a successful CAPD programme, in addition to careful selection of patients. The latter aims at optimal patient motivation for the treatment method which, in principle, is more cost effective than home dialysis. In so far as patients fulfil the requirements for home dialysis they can be excellently rehabilitated.