[Perforation of the esophagus during pneumatic dilatation in achalasia]. / La perforazione dell'esofago nella dilatazione pneumatica per acalasia.

Esophageal perforation is a serious complication of pneumatic dilatation. We studied the cases of 4 patients (2 men and 2 women, mean age 58 years, range 56-62) who had surgical treatment for achalasia, two of which had had previous dilatation. The main symptoms were pain and dyspnea. Pneumomediastinum was present in all patients, pleural effusion in 2 and cervical emphysema in 1. Esophagographic results showed evidence of perforation in all four cases and gastric patches were surgically placed on the esophageal tear within 12 hours. Three patients received enteral nutrition for an average of 13 days. Mean hospital stay was 14 days. No post-operative complications were exhibited although one patient did develop gastroesophageal reflux 3 months later and underwent surgery to repair a hernia in the thorax 5 years later. Early and aggressive treatment is considered the best therapy and the gastric patch, in our opinion, is an effective and reliable technique for esophageal perforation repair in achalasia patients.

Strangulated traumatic hernia of the diaphragm. A report of two cases.

The herniation of abdominal viscera in the thorax can immediately follow diaphragmatic rupture or be delayed even years after the injury. The herniated viscera can strangulate; this consequence may lead to a dangerous misdiagnosis which could be lethal for the patient. Radiological procedures, serial chest X-ray studies, CT and MRI scans are mandatory to confirm diagnosis. The insertion of a naso-gastric tube is a very helpful method in ruling out hypertensive pneumothorax in the presence of an air-fluid level in the thorax. We report 2 cases of strangulated traumatic hernia of the diaphragm occurring just a few hours (case 1) and 18 months (case 2) after the trauma. During thoracotomy, a rupture of the left diaphragmatic cupola was demonstrated with herniation of the stomach in case 1, the stomach, spleen and transverse colon in case 2. No postoperative mortality or morbidity were detected.

Delayed traumatic hernia of the diaphragm presenting with hypertensive pneumothorax. Case report and review of the literature.

The diagnosis of traumatic hernia of the diaphragm can be obtained at the time of injury or months-years after the trauma. The Authors report a case of traumatic hernia of the diaphragm, diagnosed 3 years after a blunt thoracic trauma in a 47-year-old man. The patient was admitted to the hospital for a pneumothorax caused by perforation of the herniated colon. He underwent colonic resection and reduction of the herniated viscera but unfortunately he died of septic shock on the 40th postoperative day. Pneumothorax is a very rare complication of traumatic diaphragmatic hernia and few cases are reported in literature. The diagnosis in the delayed phase is not easy since the correlation with the trauma is not always clear.

[Rupture of the diaphragm caused by closed trauma. Case contributions and review of the literature]. / La rottura del diaframma da trauma chiuso. Contributo casistico e revisione della letteratura.

AIM: Retrospective evaluation of 19 diaphragmatic ruptures due to blunt trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected all patients with thoracic and/or abdominal blunt trauma who were admitted to the department of surgery (Clinica Chirurgica and Chirurgia generale C) from 1970 to 1995. We selected patients with ascertained diaphragmatic rupture. RESULTS: We considered 17 cases of TDR (15 males and 4 females). Mean age was 38 years (range 16-67). Radiologic findings were consistent with TDR in 10 cases out of 17 (58.8%). Right hemidiaphragm was injured in 6 cases (31.6%). 10 patients (52.6%) presented at operation with intrathoracic visceral herniation. 8 patients underwent laparotomy, 7 both laparotomy and thoracotomy, 4 thoracotomy alone. Perioperative mortality was 15.7% (3 patients). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The clinical features were complicated by a large number of associated lesions; radiologic diagnosis is comparatively easy if visceral herniation into the thorax is present, repeated radiologic examinations facilitate diagnosis. The surgical access is determined by concomitant associated injuries which may require urgent operation.

[Cervical-mediastinal emphysema of abdominal origin]. / L'enfisema cervico-mediastinico di origine addominale.

Cervical mediastinic emphysema usually does not demand emergency procedures: nevertheless its ethiology must be promptly assessed though his achievement may prove less than easy owing the vague clinical presentation and to the limits imposed by regional topography. Among the possible etiologic factors one should take into account the rare abdominal source too. Indeed the cervical region is connected to the retroperitoneal space through a virtual "visceral space" via the thoracic cavity and some diaphragmatic break-throughs variable in size. The communication allows, in some pathologic conditions, the unopposed circulation of air and fluids. Our interest in the topic is due to the occurrence of a cervical mediastinic emphysema in a patient suffering from a colonic perforation.

Dextromethorphan test for evaluation of congenital predisposition to lung cancer.

We report the results of an investigation conducted in 992 healthy control subjects (854 adults and 138 adolescents) and in 116 subjects with lung cancer (LC) for the purpose of detecting those individuals with a possible genetic predisposition to lung cancer. The test consists of the oral administration of 64 mumol of dextromethorphan (DMP) with collection of urine samples over the following 8-h period and urine assay of the drug (DMP) and its main metabolite, dextrorphan (DOP). The ratio of the urinary concentrations of DMP to those of DOP is called the metabolic ratio (DMP/DOP) and is inversely proportional to the DMP demethylation rate. The pattern of the metabolic ratio (Log10 DMP/DOP) allowed, using a maximum likelihood approach, the identification of three subpopulations in the 854 control subjects (adults): (1) probable homozygous extensive metabolizers with Log10 DMP/DOP < -1.74 (73.1 percent); (2) probable heterozygous intermediate metabolizers with Log10 DMP/DOP in the -1.74 to -0.40 range (22.3 percent); and (3) probable homozygous poor metabolizers with Log10 DMP/DOP > -0.4 (4.6 percent). Most of the patients with LC (89 percent) were probable homozygous extensive metabolizers. As the latter have a cancer risk that is 2.54-fold greater than that of intermediate metabolizers (95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 1.37 to 4.73) and 7.43-fold greater than that of poor metabolizers (95 percent CI: 1.01 to 54.5), their identification by means of the DMP test may be particularly useful for subjects exposed to environmental and occupational carcinogens. The phenotype test used is similar to that of the debrisoquin test, but presents the advantage that DMP is a widely used, harmless drug with a faster and simpler urinary assay procedure.

[Pulmonary carcinoid tumors]. / I tumori carcinoidi polmonari.

27 patients suffering from carcinoid of the lung (18 females and 9 males, middle age 52 years, range 26-68) underwent surgery in our department. The neoplasms were located at the pulmonary hilum in 21 cases. The diagnosis was occasional in 6 cases, cough (51.8%) and recurrent bronchitis (37%) were the most frequent symptoms. No instances of carcinoid syndrome were detected. Preoperative staging ruled out pathologic mediastinal lymph nodes or hematogenous metastases. 26 patients underwent complete excision of the neoplasm (11 lobectomies, 9 pneumonectomies, 4 bilobectomies, 1 segmental resection, 1 bronchial wedge resection). Histologically, 4 cases were categorized as atypical carcinoids. Two patients died within 1 year, one suffering from atypical carcinoid because of disease progression, and an other one (suffering from atypical carcinoid) who underwent only at exploratory thoracotomy followed by chemotherapy. A patient suffering from typical carcinoid died within 1.5 years because of gallbladder carcinoma. From our experience and from the literature review it appears that carcinoids has to be considered as malignant neoplasms and treated according to.

[Iatrogenic rupture of the esophagus: presentation of several cases]. / Le rotture iatrogeniche dell'esofago: presentazione di alcuni casi.

Four cases of iatrogenic rupture of the oesophagus are presented. The site of the lesion was in the cervical tract in 1 case and in the thoracic tract in the other 3 cases. Their etiology was pneumatic endoscopic dilatation for achalasia in 2 cases, endoscopic insertion of a Celestin tube for carcinoma of the thoracic tract of the oesophagus in 1 case, and diagnostic endoscopy in the last one. Instrumental findings were relevant in all cases. All patients underwent surgery. In the patients suffering from achalasia, the rupture was repaired by a patch of the gastric fundus. The patient suffering from carcinoma underwent an oesophageal resection, the one with cervical perforation underwent a mediastinal drainage. There were no deaths or considerable post operating complications. In a patient suffering from achalasia gastro-oesophageal reflux was demonstrated after some months following the operation.

[Primary germinal tumors of the mediastinum: our experience in 9 cases]. / I tumori germinali primitivi del mediastino: nostra esperienza in nove casi.

9 patients (8 males 1 female, middle age 24.3 years, range 20-41) affected by primary mediastinal germ cell tumor were surgically treated in our department. They were 4 seminomas, 2 embryonal carcinomas, 1 malignant teratoma and 2 benign teratomas. Three patients were asymptomatic; cough, dyspnea and chest pain were the most frequently observed symptoms. The staging work-up did not show signs of metastatic disease in the malignant types. Benign teratomas underwent complete excision. In one patient suffering from seminoma radiotherapy and chemotherapy caused complete remission of the disease. In the others cases remission of the neoplasm was obtained by resection and adjuvant therapy in 3 cases, by neoadjuvant treatment and excision of the residual mass in 3 cases. Among the patients suffering from seminoma, 2 are dead at 60 months since initial treatment and 2 are alive at 132 and 120 months respectively. Among the patients with malignant nonseminomatous tumours, 2 are alive at 60 and 36 months and 1 patient is dead at 13 months. Two patients with benign teratoma are alive at 189 and 168 months respectively. At present a multimodality treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, give the most satisfactory results in the treatment of malignant mediastinal germ cell tumours.

[Thoracoplasty today. Review of a technique of the past]. / La toracoplastica oggi. Rivisitazione di una tecnica del passato.

Thoracoplastic operations had ruled the field in the past as treatment of choice in the surgical antituberculous collapse therapy; they have had a notable revival during the last years as an efficient therapeutic modality in the treatment of chronic empyemas of the most various etiologies. They are thoracoplasties done with particular modalities, imposing, setting out case by case to suppress the infected pleural space. It is usually joined with a thoracotomy and it permits also the execution of other surgical intrathoracic manoeuvres such as decortications, treatment of fistulas, myoplasties. Situations such as chronic empyemas, without any solution before, have found a brilliant solution by the use of this operation.

Mediastinal chondrosarcoma. Case report.

A 34-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman underwent radical removal of mediastinally sited chondrosarcoma, presumably originating in the periosteum of the vertebral body. The man (with mesenchymal chondrosarcoma) died of remote metastasis 6 years postoperatively. The woman (poorly differentiated chondrosarcoma, grade 2-3) is still alive 2 years after the operation.

[Mesenchymoma of the mediastinum (a case report)]. / Il mesenchimoma del mediastino (presentazione di un caso).

A 44-year-old male affected by mesenchymoma of the mediastinum was treated surgically. The neoplasm, localized in the postero-inferior mediastinum with prevalent development to the left, was found to consist of adipose, leiomuscular and myxoid tissue. The patient was asymptomatic. Complete removal of the neoplasm proved possible, and one year after surgery no signs of recurrence were present. Few cases of mediastinal mesenchymoma have been reported.

[Bullous emphysema of the lung (our experience)]. / Le bolle enfisematose del polmone (nostra esperienza).

Ten patients (9 males and 1 female; mean age: 44.8 yrs) with bullous lung disease were treated. Frequent patient-history findings were smoking and spontaneous pneumothorax. Nine cases were treated surgically either by bullectomy or atypical resection. In one case, an attempt at endobullous aspiration failed owing to the patient's very poor general condition. Among the postoperative complications in three cases we observed difficult pulmonary re-expansion and infection of the surgical wound with consequent pleural empyema in another.

[Our experience on the use of the antireflux prosthesis by the Angelchik method (personal contribution of 26 cases)]. / La nostra esperienza sull'impiego della protesi antireflusso secondo Angelchik (contributo personale di 26 casi).

The Angelchik prosthesis was used in 26 cases of gastroesophageal reflux disease resistant to medical therapy. The operations were crowned with success in 24 cases out of 26 (92.3%), with complete disappearance of reflux. The procedure failed in two cases: the prosthesis was removed in one case due to postoperative acute haemorrhagic gastritis with a subsequent positive outcome; in this patient the Angelchik ring had been removed as a precaution. Failure in the second case, a patient with oesophageal stenosis and a short oesophagus, was due to mediastinal migration of the prosthesis. In this latter case, a successful duodenal bypass was created with antrectomy and a long Roux-en-Y anastomosis. The only intraoperative complication in the patient sample was a splenectomy for rupture of the splenic capsule. Postoperative complications not directly related to the prosthesis were perforation of a duodenal ulcer not diagnosed preoperatively and treated with raphia without impairing the functional efficacy of the ring, one case of pulmonary embolism and one case of cardiac infarction, all resolved with medical therapy. In all, the prostheses were removed in 3 cases out of 26 (11.5%). In addition to the two cases already described, the prosthesis was removed in one patient one year after the operation at the patient's specific request for "psychological" reasons. Migration of the prosthesis occurred in four cases of severe oesophageal stenosis with a short oesophagus, in three of which the prosthesis functioned perfectly even in the intrathoracic site. At follow-up examinations there was radiological disappearance of the hiatal hernia in 20 cases out of 25. In one case there was no hernia even before the operation, and in four cases there was a short oesophagus with severe oesophagitis. Owing to the very easy performance of the operation together with its unquestionable antireflux efficacy, in our opinion three reliable indications emerge, namely: (i) in elderly patients at high surgical risk; (ii) in obese, brachytypical patients; and (iii) in the presence of severe oesophagitis, even with a short oesophagus.

Emergency surgical management of retrosternal goiter causing tracheal compression.

Acute tracheal compression caused by mediastinal masses is a rare event. Dyspnea is the most frequent symptom and the treatment of choice is intubation followed by surgical operation. Four cases of acute tracheal compression due to retrosternal goiter are described. All of them underwent emergency surgical treatment. Clinical findings and problems of surgical technique are discussed.

Pharmacokinetics and human tissue penetration of flurithromycin.

The relationship between concentrations in serum and levels in tissue of flurithromycin, a new fluorinated macrolide, was determined in patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery and thoracotomy. All patients received 500 mg of flurithromycin orally every 8 h. Drug levels in serum, bone, soft tissue, lung, and pericardial fluid were determined microbiologically. The total amount of antibiotic per gram of tissue was calculated on the basis of the concentration in the supernatant of the homogenate. From the parallel course between free concentrations in serum and calculated contents in interstitial fluid tissue, it was concluded that the tissues examined were easily accessible by flurithromycin; penetration values measured by the ratio of areas under the curve were 8.3 for lung, 3.6 for bone, and 0.8 for soft tissue. The results of the pharmacokinetic study suggest that accumulation of the drug during repetitive multiple doses is predictable. Mean residence times were 10.2 and 8.3 h in groups 1 and 2, respectively. For bacteriostatic drugs such as macrolides, not only very high but also prolonged concentrations in tissue lead to favorable therapeutic result.

[Spontaneous rupture of the stomach (case report)]. / La rottura spontanea dello stomaco (presentazione di un caso).

The Authors show a case of a 68 year old woman underwent a successful operation for spontaneous stomach heavage. The linear solution of continuity, 5-6 cms long, was sutured on the small gastric curve. The treatment consisted in suturing the lesion and performing a decompressive gastrostomy.

[Spontaneous rupture of the esophagus (presentation of a case)]. / Rottura spontanea dell'esofago (presentazione di un caso).

The authors describe the case of a 67-year-old patient with spontaneous rupture of the middle third of the oesophagus, occurring apparently without any involvement of intraluminal hypertension. The surgical treatment consisted in the execution of an aspiration drainage of the left pleural cavity, followed by a right thoracotomy with exploration of the mediastinum. A gastrostomy according to Witzel was also performed. Total parenteral nutrition was instituted in the post-operative period. Healing of the oesophageal lesion was confirmed radiologically 2 months after admission to our department.

Bronchopulmonary carcinoids: report of nine surgically treated cases.

Nine cases of bronchial carcinoids treated by surgery are reported. Six of them were females and three males. Their ages ranged from 37 to 68 years (median 52.8 years). Lobectomy was carried out in four instances (bilobectomy in one) and pneumonectomy in three. Based on preoperative histology two conservative operations were performed: one patient underwent segmental resection of the right upper lobe for a peripheral carcinoid and the other sleeve resection of the bronchus. The operations were complicated only in one case in which a broncho-pleural fistula appeared postoperatively and was successfully treated by thorachoplasty. There was no postoperative death. The only patient with an atypical carcinoid died one year after pneumonectomy. The other eight patients, with typical carcinoids are alive and without recurrent disease at 6 months to 8 years from surgery. Lymph node and parenchymal infiltration, observed in 3 patients, were not fatal. It is concluded that carcinoids should now be considered malignancies; typical carcinoids carry a more favorable prognosis than atypical ones and can be managed by conservative operations without affecting the survival rate. The spreading of the tumor to lymph nodes and surrounding tissues was not associated with an increased mortality in the reported cases.