[Salmonella aortitis complicated by rupture. Diagnostic and therapeutic problems].

We observed a case of aortitis due to Salmonella in a patient with spondylodiscitis. Outcome was fatal despite resection and grafting, extensive drainage and adapted but unsuccessful antibiotic treatment. Based on the literature, suggested treatment for patients with spondylodiscitis includes extra-anatomic bypass combined with resection of the infected tissue and adapted antibiotherapy.

[Synthetic prostheses used in surgery to repair abdominal wall defects (excluding groin hernias). Characteristics, in situ behaviour and applications].

This study is an updating on synthetic prostheses used today to repair incisional hernias, eviscerations and abdominal wall defects due to a severe infection or a parietal excision of malignant tumours. The present prostheses are the fruits of the constantly developing plastic industry. Their characteristics and types (mesh or patch), together with the materials they are made of, are studied taking this development into account.

[Conservative attitude in the treatment of closed injuries of the liver].

Progress made in surgical treatment of blunt hepatic trauma (BHT) are numerous. Some procedures are sophisticated, but the best results seem to be due to conservative trends. These conservative trends are observed on one hand during the laparotomy with limited hepatectomies, and peri-hepatic packing, on the other hand in non operative management (NOM).

The cystohepatic ducts: surgical implications.

The cystohepatic ducts (CHDs) drain the entirety of a hepatic territory of variable extent into the cystic duct or gallbladder (cholecystohepatic ducts). Certain very rare patterns of the CHDs constitute anomalies but as a rule a CHD represents one of the numerous variants of division of the extrahepatic bile-ducts. Their existence is explained by the normal anatomic development of the bile-ducts.

[Therapeutic strategy in adrenal tumor].

The therapeutic strategy to be adopted when confronted with an adrenal tumor is schematically presented for the various situations which may occur: --pheochromocytomas, where the principal problems are the blood pressure and the localization and volume of the tumors(s); --Conn's syndrome, where a bilateral tumor should not be missed; --Cushing's syndrome, where bilateral total adrenalectomy via a posterior approach would seem to be the treatment of choice; --non secreting and secreting adrenal tumors, which usually pose the problem of volume and possibility of malignancy. The ideal surgical approach is discussed for each of the above cases.