All patients who underwent a transurethral resection of the prostate gland were studied. These patients were selected because they usually had spinal anesthesia, were all operated on by one operator, and were ambulated the first postoperative day. Posteroanterior X-rays of the chest were made, following the usual technique, on the day before and first day after surgery. Pulmonary shunting, as measured by the technique of Finley et al., was also measured the day before and the first day postoperatively. To date four patients have been studies. All four had a moderately increased shunt preoperatively. All four had less shunting postoperatively than they did preoperatively.nAn additional group of patients will have lung volume determinations made preoperatively and postoperatively, in addition to shunt determinations. The three methods will be compared to determine which is the most critical in the diagnosis of atelectasis.
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