[Acute enterorrhagia in a young adult: emergency treatment].

A case of enterorrhagia sustained by arteriovenous malformation of the caecum in a young patient is reported. The importance of an early diagnosis to avert a serious anemia is underlined. Preminent role of colonscopy and selective visceral angiography in the diagnosis of such disease is discussed.

[Operative risk in the elderly patient: protocol for evaluation].

Authors emphasize the surgical risk in elderly. Mortality and morbidity are pointed out in male and female patients. They report on 30 aged patients operated for various pathologies also discussing the results.

[Venous bypass for treatment of chronic obstructive venous insufficiency of lower limbs].

About 1 to 5 percent of patients affected by chronic obstructive venous disease of the lower extremity, are eligible to surgical treatment, by veno-venous bypass, for the relief of unerely invalidating symptoms. Indications to operation include a class II to III chronic venous insufficiency of the deep venous system, failure of medical treatment continued for at least 12 months, good patency of outflow axis, a significant gradient of pressure between discared and outflow axis, a good quality saphenous vein to be utilized for bypass. The case of an aged patient, successfully treated with a femoro-femoral venous bypass, associating an artero venous fistula, is presented and indications to the operation in the older patients, together with indication to and technical details of performing the fistula are discussed.

Adenocarcinoma and epidermoid carcinoma of the lung in the elderly.

Primary lung carcinoma, in the elderly, presents some interesting epidemiologic and clinical characteristics. The authors, after reviewing the international literature, stress the differences of behavior and incidence of epidermoid carcinoma and adenocarcinoma occurring in elderly patients as compared to those found in younger patients. They report their experience which is similar to that reported in the medical literature.

[Laser applications in ambulatory care. Review of the literature].

The authors present different kinds of laser used in the treatment of several surgical affections in out patients. A review of the international literature and main uses of this technique are shown.

[Primary space-occupying lesions in the mediastinum].

Authors report four cases of mediastinal tumors. X-rays, CT scan, bronchial endoscopy, angiography and mediastinal endoscopy can be useful to diagnose this kind of neoplasms. Surgical treatment and, further, radio or chemotherapy are used in case of mediastinal neoplastic lesions.

Photodynamic therapy in general surgery.

Authors' experience in detecting neoplasms by a computerized telethermographic system in animal models is reported. The new technique seems to have a great potential as a photo-diagnostic method particularly when followed by the surgical treatment or the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of the neoplastic lesions. Literature reports on the PDT of tumors are reviewed.