Trailer-park radiology.

Abstract

MOTORISTS in recent years have been confronted by a rolling highway giant of considerable length and girth. The giant, of course, is a truck carrying a pre-fabricated house or trailer. It would appear that this transient road-way stenosis will be a permanent aspect of the American building scene. Prefabrication units now play an important role in meeting not only private housing needs but short- and long-term institutional requirements as well. “Lebensraum” is also in demand in many hospitals. Unfortunately, the development of permanent space may be long delayed, pending design, funding, and completion of buildings. This has been the case at our medical center, and trailers are now used for offices, patient examinations, teaching, and research facilities. Radiology Trailer In order to adequately house an enlarging professional staff as well as free existing office space for x-ray rooms, a “Radiology Trailer” was established (Fig. 1). This approach has been used by several departments in the Medical School, and the units purchased3 have been durable and comfortable. The trailers used are equipped with heating and air-conditioning units. They are assembled with relative ease on a brick or concrete foundation and may be erected as an independent unit or attached to the Hospital by means of a small vestibule as is the case in our department. The dimensions and floor plan of the Radiology Trailer are shown in Figure 2. Offices for 6 staff radiologists as well as a departmental library (Fig. 3) were created. Enough space was also gained for three typists in the departmental typing pool and a staff secretary. The trailer interior is pine-panelled. Bookcases of adequate volume were installed in each office in the trailer. Radiobiology Facility Due to space limitations in the Medical School animal quarters and research areas, a radiobiology research unit was established as shown in Figure 4. One of the first trailers used on the medical campus was joined by means of a concrete-block building to a mouse-colony trailer. The animal trailer was prepared with several unique features, including constant temperature-control equipment and adequate ventilation to insure continual animal breeding. An ultraviolet light system for germicidal purposes was installed. Cage washing facilities, including a hot steam source, were added. Figure 5 shows the steel girder preparation needed to support the weight of the mouse-colony trailer; the completed unit is pictured in Figure 6. The concrete building serves as a connecting link between the animal rooms and the laboratory. The concrete walls of this building, with the addition of lead sheeting, were used as relatively inexpensive housing for a 250 kV orthovoltage unit for animal irradiation. Storage areas for the laboratory and the animal colony were also included in this building.