[The post-traumatic pancreatitis: about four cases]. / La pancréatite post-traumatique: à propos de quatre cas.

The post-traumatic pancreatitis is the main reason of mortality in the traumatisms of the pancreas, its concurrence is related to the lesions of the pancreatic channels. It represents only 1% of the pancreatitis. In a descriptive retrospective study, four cases of post-traumatic pancreatitis are described.

[Cerebellum abscess: first demonstration of undiagnosed infective endocarditis in an adult with corrected transposition arteries]. / Abcès du cervelet révélant une greffe oslérienne sur une transposition corrigée des gros vaisseaux chez l'adulte.

Neurological complications occur in approximately 30% of all patients with infective endocarditis and represent a major factor associated with an increased mortality rate. Third of these complications is represented by cerebral embolism, followed by mycotic aneurysm, meningitis or meningoencephalitis. Brain abscesses are rare; their localization to the cerebellum is exceptional. A case of cerebellum abscess occurring in a 34-year-old patient with non-operated corrected transposition of the great arteries is reported. Occurrence of this abscess was the first demonstration of undiagnosed infective endocarditis.

[Haemocholecyst: a rare complication of anticoagulant treatment]. / Hémocholécyste: complication rare du traitement antithrombotique.

We report a case of a 50-year-old woman, taking antivitamin K for double mitro-aortic valvular replacement, having presented a clinical picture of acute cholecystitis with marked hypotension. The radiological and biologic exams showed a deep hypocoagulability, vesicular gallstones, a haemoperitoneum and retroperitoneal haematoma. After correction of biological anomalies, the patient was operated. The gallbladder was distended containing large clots and four stones without any evidence of perforation. One of the gallstones led to cystic duct obstruction. Haemocholecyst is a rare complication of anticoagulant therapy, which may occur in the setting of gallbladder stones. The usual complication was the vesicular perforation. In spite of its rarity, haemocholecyst should be suspected when an anticoagulant treated patient presents symptoms of acute cholecystis with or without haemorrhagic shock.

[Traumatic thrombosis of the inferior vena cava]. / Thrombose post-traumatique de la veine cave inférieure.

Traumatic thrombosis of vena cava is rare. Thrombosis of the inferior vena cava diagnosed by uroscanner after blunt abdominal trauma involving the kidney is reported. The Doppler exam confirmed the floating character of the clot. Three days after the initiation of anticoagulant therapy, the thrombus disappeared without any clinical or radiological signs of pulmonary embolism. Fifteen cases of traumatic thrombosis of the inferior vena cava have been described in the literature. Mechanisms, clinical pictures and the management are discussed.

[Traumatic asphyxia or Perthe's syndrome. Six cas reports]. / Syndrome d'asphyxie traumatique ou syndrome de Perthes. A propos de six cas.

Perthe's syndrome or traumatic asphyxia is a clinical syndrome associating cervicofacial cyanosis, petechia and subconjonctival hemorrhage to neurological symptoms. This syndrome appears after severe and transient compressive blunt chest injury. A Valsalva maneuver is necessary before thoracic compression for the development of this syndrome. The treatment includes rapid chest decompression and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The prognosis is good but a prolonged thoracic compression could lead to cerebral anoxia and neurological sequelae. We report six cases of Perthe's syndrome most of them resulting from thoracic compression after road traffic accidents. All of them made a good prognosis.

[Tension pneumopericardium: a rare complication after thoracic stab wound]. / La tamponnade gazeuse: une complication rare des plaies thoraciques.

The authors report a case involving a patient with thoracic stab wound. The patient developed tension pneumopericardium with acute cardiac tamponade. The clinical and radiological features of tension pneumopericardium and its treatment are discussed.

[Puffer fish poisoning]. / Intoxication par le poisson coffre.

We report three cases of a collective tetrodotoxin poisoning, after ingestion of puffer fish eggs. This neurotoxin is the most potent membrane stabilizer, blocking the nervous conduction and resulting in death from respiratory paralysis in case of massive ingestion. The father died at admission, the mother and her daughter presented an acute respiratory failure and a flaccid tetraplegia, with favourable outcome after 24 hours.

[Myocardial rhabdomyolysis following paraphenylene diamine poisoning]. / Rhabdomyolyse du myocarde après intoxication par la paraphénylène diamine.

Acute intoxication with paraphenylene diamine, a mineral compound used as hair dye, associated asphyxia due to cervical oedema and rhabdomyolysis. We report the case of a patient with lethal cardiogenic shock secondary to myocardial rhabdomyolysis confirmed by a postmortem biopsy.

[Pneumocephalus: a prognostic factor in head injuries. Results of a retrospective study of 167 patients]. / La pneumocéphalie: un indice pronostique chez le traumatisé crânien.Résultats d'une étude rétrospective chez 167 patients.

Presence of air within the cranial cavity has been described by several authors. Little attention has been paid to its significance. The goal of this study was to analyse the clinical characteristics and the evolution of patients with pneumocephalus. We reviewed the brain computed tomography scans of 167 consecutive head injury patients who were hospitalized between January 1992 and December 1993. This retrospective study revealed intracranial air in 33 cases (19%). The analysis of clinical characteristics showed that in the initial period the neurologic status was better in patients with pneumocephalus. However, 48 hours later, the proportion of patients presenting a deep coma increased We conclude that pneumocephalus is a significant risk factor in head injury patients.