Charles theodore dotter biography books

Early life and career

 

Dotter was born in Boston in and attended school in Freeport, New York. Having received his B.A. degree from Duke University (majoring in Psychology), he completed his medical degree at Cornell University.

Following this he completed his internship at the United States Naval Hospital and his Radiology residency at New York Hospital.

 

At just 30 years of age, he was offered a full-time faculty position at the Cornell Medical School; and by age 32, Dotter became the Oregon Health Sciences University’s Chairman of the School of Medicine Department of Diagnostic Radiology.

 

The Technologist

 

"If a plumber can do it to pipes, we can do it to blood vessels" - (Charles Dotter, see Fig.

2)

 

1) Dottering:

 

He first described percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in , along with his trainee Melvin Judkins - they successfully used the technique to treat superficial femoral artery stenosis in a bed-ridden year-old lady who had previously refused amputation. She was relieved of the pain, her ulcers healed (see Fig.

3) and she lived another three full years with the ability to walk.

 

His PTA technique became fondly known, particularly amongst Europeans, as 'Dottering', and paved the way for modern endovascular techniques.

 

This pioneering work was admired by many of his peers, but also unsurprisingly seen as out-of-place in Radiology by others.

Famously, in March , Dotter received a form from a surgeon requesting a radiological consultation.

The surgeon wanted only a left femoral arteriogram but definitely no radiological intervention - clearly demonstrated by his request form: "Visualize but do not try to fix!!!" - see Fig. 4

 

Needless to say, Dotter saw this as a challenge.

Charles theodore dotter biography books After successful dilation of the stenosis with a guide wire and coaxial Teflon catheters, the circulation returned to her leg. Simply fill out the form to tell us a bit about your project. Similar articles. He was a leading force in Machlett's development of an x-ray tube capable of obtaining millisecond exposures.

He diligently visualised the left femoral artery stenosis. However, having also diagnosed a stenosis in the right femoral artery, he proceeded to 'fix' that leg, thus not technically disobeying his referring surgeon!

 

2) Innovating:

 

Dotter embraced his own ability to design new tools and materials.

 

On his first encounter with Bill Cook of Cook Incorporated, at RSNA in , he borrowed some Teflon tubing and a blowtorch at the end of the day's demonstrations.

 

Cook recalls, "The next morning he was waiting for me with ten beautifully made Teflon catheters and my blowtorch.

I had just started my business, and I admit that those ten catheters were sold to someone else for ten dollars each later that day. He was my first production employee.

 

Beyond this, he was known to also create experimental interventional tools out of everyday items, such as guitar strings, piano wire and even a Volkswagen speedometer cable.

 

The results of his more formal technical innovations and collaborations included the co-axial catheter method, the exit catheter, the safety wire and the loop snare (see Fig.

5).

 

3) Measuring + Visualising:

 

Dotter pioneered several techniques to improve contemporary methods of vascular diagnostics. These have then primed the techniques that have developed into modern practice; for example:

 

- The flow-guided, balloon-tipped catheter which paved the way for the Swan-Ganz catheter in , providing a clinical technique to measure right-heart pressures without fluoroscopic guidance

 

- Selective coronary angiography, first achieved by Dotter's heroic occlusion arteriography experiments in dogs - where transient occlusion of the aortic outflow(!) resulted in elucidation of the coronary circulation (see Fig.

6).

 

Further contributions to the medical profession included the development of a rapid X-ray film changer for angiocardiography (Fig. 7) and original ideas within forensic pathology and life-support therapy.

 

The Educator

 

"His training films were filled with humor and unexpected sights and sounds to capture and maintain the viewer's attention"

 

Dotter's contributions as an educator ranged from published scientific papers to captivating video demonstrations.

 

As an assistant professor, he published a page book named Angiocardiology, full of techniques and illustrations; at the time, this was reviewed as a text "which will probably not be excelled for many years".

 

Not limited to paper, Dotter produced an extensive series of training videos, and notably one on PTA (see Fig.

8), which duly highlight his own passion for his work.

 

Beyond such technical works, Dotter had also devoted 22 book chapters and 4 papers on teaching Radiology to medical students.

 

As a mentor, he excelled in both charisma and inspiration. Once a trainee, Frederick Keller recalls: "to characterise him as intense would be grossly understated"; this characteristic was admired and respected by his peers (Fig.

Charles theodore dotter biography books in order The free phase of pulmonary embolism is similarly brief. I'm glad I was thick-skinned enough to stick with it and even more glad that there's so much still to be done and so many others to help do it. About Recent Edits Go ad-free. Tools Tools.

9).

 

The Personality

 

"Charles’ mind always operated at full throttle, often working in several diverse directions simultaneously. Yet [he] had the uncanny ability to clarify and crystallize his thoughts." - (Prof F. Keller, )

 

Dotter had a significant reputation for his character.

John Abele described him as a "classical, non-linear thinker who did much of his experimentation in the kitchen".

 

His eccentricities spanned the spectrum from a fascination with fast cars, all the way to the activities such as smuggling guide wires to colleagues in the Eastern block (in fact, by hiding them in the hubcaps of his car).

 

Dotter was also a brilliant outdoorsman, highlighted by his achievement of conquering all peaks greater than 14, feet in the contiguous United States.

 

Needless to say, the combination of Dotter's broad interests and tenacity sparked his numerous ideas but also fuelled his follow-through, implementation and experimentation.

 

The Charles Dotter Institute was established in , providing advanced interdisciplinary medical education, research facilities and patient care - both a living memorial to a great gentleman, and a thriving establishment for the great specialty within Radiology he helped flourish.