Dilatation of the azygos vein simulating a mediastinal tumour.

A mediastinal tumour was simulated by gross dilatation of the azygos vein resulting from compression by enlarged hilar lymph nodes at the point where it crossed the right main bronchus to enter the superior vena cava. This cause of dilatation of the azygos vein has not previously been reported. Published reports are reviewed and attention drawn to the large proportion of patients (11/19) with this condition who had needless thoracotomies. The possibility of making a diagnosis by means of clinical observation and simple radiological techniques and thus avoiding surgical intervention is discussed.

Goodpasture's syndrome in a Zambian woman.

The clinical and pathological characteristics of Goodpasture's syndrome are described and a case reported in which there were classical clinical and pathological manifestations of this condition. This is the first report of this entity in an indigenous black African.

Schistosomiasis and anterior spinal artery occlusion.

A case of anterior spinal artery occlusion associated with acute Schistosoma mansoni infection is reported, and it is suggested that there is a direct relationship. It is postulated that there is initially an arteritis which leads to obstruction of either the anterior spinal artery itself, its branches, or one or more of the tributary anterior radicular arteries.

Pendred's syndrome in a rural Zambian family.

A family is reported in which, in one generation, there are more members with goitres and nerve deafness than expected. It is postulated that these abnormalities are due to Pendred's Syndrome and the reasons for this are discussed. An associated finding in three goitrous patients is tuberculoid leprosy.

Reproducibility of dynamic compliance and flow-volume curves in normal man.

To evaluate methods proposed for the early detection of small airways obstruction. we have compared the precision of the forced expiratory flow-volume curve and of measurements of the frequency dependence of lung compliance in normal subjects, in 10 of whom these measurements were made on four occasions, and in 5 on two occasions. The maximal expiratory flow rate was highly reproducible, revealing consistent differences between these normal subjects, particularly when measured at 60% of TLC and corrected for differences in body size. The frequency-dependence measurements, expressed as the slope of the regression line relating dynamic compliance to frequency, showed much greater variation between repeated measurements in the same subject. Comparison with earlier published accounts is difficult in view of lack of quantitative data, but the variability between single measurements on different normal subjects appears to be similar to that which we have found when the results are expressed in a comparable manner. Dynamic compliance at a frequency of 1 Hz lay between 48% and 141% of the value obtained by extrapolation to zero frequency.