Acute abdomen from chylous peritonitis: a surgical diagnosis. Case report and literature review.

Acute accumulation of chyle in the peritoneal cavity is a rare event (less than 100 cases are described in the literature) and is to be distinguished from chylous ascites, which is characteristically chronic. It is frequently idiopathic, and diagnosis is usually made at laparotomy, whenever signs of acute peritonitis impose it. Peritoneal toilette and drainage are the only treatment required, and the prognosis is excellent. We describe the case of a 69-year-old man who underwent emergency surgery for acute peritonitis. Approximately 0.5 liters of chyle were found free in the peritoneal cavity at laparoscopic exploration, without any important underlying pathological condition apart from a blood vessel congestion in the bowel resembling angiomatosis. Laparotomic conversion, peritoneal toilette and drainage, with postoperative low-fat diet, were the pursued treatments. Two years after discharge, chemistry and clinics are normal, without evidence of associated disease or recurrence.

[Surgical treatment of refractory ascites with peritoneovenous shunt]. / Trattamento chirurgico dell'ascite refrattaria con shunt peritoneovenoso.

Leveen and associates described a peritoneo-venous shunt which proved to be useful in patients with intractable ascites. Medical therapy, paracentesis and peritoneovenous shunt have been compared, but there is uncertainty about their relative merits. Therefore, the leveen device has be placed in last years in an increasing number of patients: it has not been shown by prospective trials to prolong survival significantly, although it may shorten hospitalization and improve the quality of life. A number of early and late complications were described but they do not influence the general results: origin and features of such complications are discussed as well as their prevention and treatment and personal cases are presented. Selection of patients and careful surgical procedure seems to be mandatory for better results.

[Preoperative and immediate postoperative respiratory therapy in patients with pulmonary resection]. / La fisiokinesiterapia respiratoria nella preparazione all'intervento e nel trattamento postoperatorio immediato dei pazienti sottoposti a resezione polmonare.

Twenty patients with a resectable lung cancer and with a low respiratory function were included in this study. During the preoperative period all patients underwent a physiokinesic preparation in view of some improvement of their ventilation performances. Methodology as well as results are reported good response to the program, better post-operative functional recovery and absence of complications were observed in this group of patients.

[Chest drainage combined with intracavitary therapy in neoplastic pleural effusion: comparison of three different protocols]. / Il drenaggio toracico associato alla terapia endocavitaria nei versamenti pleurici neoplastici: confronto di tre diverse metodiche.

Twenty-eight patients with malignant pleural effusion observed in a two year period were treated with intrapleural instillation of different substances: Tetracycline, Corynebacterium parvum and Beta-Interferon. Different results were observed: complete responsiveness (no recurrence of pleural effusion within three months); partial responsiveness (recurrence of moderate pleural effusion within one month after drainage removal); insufficient responsiveness (recurrence of massive effusion within one month). Among patients treated with Tetracycline seven complete, five partial and one insufficient responses were observed. Instillation of Corynebacterium parvum allowed two complete, two partial and three insufficient responses. Finally, in the group treated with Beta-Interferon complete responsiveness was obtained in just one patient, partial responsiveness in three, while the treatment was insufficient in the last two. These results suggest pleural drainage is the best treatment in patients with malignant pleural effusion, however, the association of Tetracycline instillation allows better results.