[Method of surgical treatment of "elephantiasis" of the limb: old philosophy, new approach].

The authors had summarized more than 25-year experience of surgical treatment of patients with the lower and upper extremities lymphedema. The aspiration-resectional-plastic method of treatment of severe forms of the limb lymphedema, which intends in the first stage the resection of fibrously changed tissues, preserving the portion of slightly changed cutaneous-subcutaneous flaps and regions in projection of localization of main lymphatic collectors, under which aspiration lipectomy is performed. Postresectional wound surface is covered with special synthetic tissue.

[The use of a plasma scalpel during thoracoscopy for the treatment of traumatic and spontaneous pneumothorax].

The authors suggest performing thoracoscopic coagulation of pleuropulmonary defects with a plasma stream (VSVU-160 apparatus) in patients with traumatic and spontaneous pneumothorax. A special nozzle and a manipulation trocar were designed for this purpose. Such combined thoracoscopy was used successfully in 31 patients with open and closed chest injury with rupture of the subpleural bullae.

[The use of a plasma unit in surgery of the lung and pleura].

On the basis of 35 experiments on dogs and clinical experience in operations on the lungs and pleura in 11 patients with the use of a plasma stream and special miniature nozzles the authors revealed the following: reliable hemostasis and aerostasis in cutting pulmonary tissue and pleura; tissue wounds inflicted by a stream of plasma are sterile; the zone of coagulation necrosis is no larger than 1 mm; healing occurs predominantly according to the type of aseptic productive inflammation with growth of connective tissue into the thermal crust. The operation in all patients was successful, no complications developed. The design of the BCBY-160 plasma apparatus should be improved to make it more compact, to reduce its size.