Aortic tumours: report of a case and review of the literature.

We present a case of a leiomyosarcoma originating in the wall of the descending aorta and give a review of 27 previously reported cases of aortic neoplasms. An extraluminal aortic leiomyosarcoma has not been reported before in the literature.

Predictive factors for thrombosis of PTFE femoropopliteal bypass grafts and the management of this complication.

Fifty PTFE (Goretex) femoropopliteal bypasses were performed for intermittent claudication (23 pts), rest pain (12 pts) or loss of tissue (15 pts). Thirty-one grafts occluded during the follow-up period up to 39 months, 19 grafts were patent. The two groups are compared regarding severity of ischaemia, outflow tract, distal anastomosis and ankle brachial ratio.

Renal vein immunoreactive renin in patients with renal artery stenosis and essential hypertension.

In 36 patients with unilateral renal artery stenosis and in 24 with essential hypertension the plasma levels of total immunoreactive renin, and enzymatically active renin were measured in both renal veins (V) and in the aorta (A) by direct RIA by using monoclonal renin antibodies. Active renin and trypsin-activatable inactive renin were also measured by indirect RIA with angiotensin-I antibodies. The V/A ratio for the different forms of renin calculated from the results of direct and indirect RIA were not different.

Results of adrenalectomy with various surgical approaches in the treatment of different diseases of the adrenal glands.

In a retrospective study, the impact of the various possible approaches for adrenalectomy were analyzed in 90 patients undergoing 120 adrenalectomies in one or two operations. The posterior approach proved to be the best tolerated procedure as expressed by the shortest operation time (less than 60 minutes) and the lowest blood loss (less than 100 milliliter). The number of opiate injections required was the lowest with this operation and the ambulation earliest (on the first postoperative day).