[Unusual pathology of the popliteal space. Popliteal artery entrapment].

After reviewing the main anatomical anomalies responsible for the popliteal artery entrapment syndrome, the author emphasizes the need for early diagnosis prior to onset of complications. Whenever confronted with hamstring pain due to sports-related physical stress in a youngster, loss of posterior tibial and pedal pulse should be checked for during static contraction, and then during forced passive stretching of the gastrocnemius muscle; modifications in arterial Doppler tracings during these maneuvers will confirm the diagnosis. Should this fail to occur at this early stage, severe complications will develop in time, manifested primarily by thrombosis of the popliteal artery; ectasia of this artery in itself carrying a risk of further peripheral embolism, thrombosis and rupture.

[A pre-wirsungal portal vein. Apropos of a case].

Portal vein anomalies are rare. One of the more frequent is pre-duodenal portal vein (50 cases). The case report is describing a pre-pancreatic but retroduodenal portal vein discovered in an operation for chronic pancreatitis.

[Mechanical anastomosis on the second duodenum. Value, technics and indications].

The authors present 50 anastomoses on the second part of duodenum after gastrectomy, that were done for gastro-duodenal ulcer in 24 patients, gastric carcinoma for 20 patients and post-gastrectomy syndromes in 5 patients. The mechanical procedure provide excellent security (without leakage) and was easy to perform. When it is necessary to make the restoration of duodenal continuity, this device is a good technical solution.

[Colonic cancer. Indications and results apropos of a continuous series of 223 patients].

The authors report a retrospective study of 223 surgical colonic carcinoma (1978-1987), the rectal carcinoma left out of them because of disparity in technical aspects. The total post-operative mortality rate was 9.4 per cent, made of great mortality in emergency (31 per cent) and in palliative surgery (17 per cent).

[Common bile duct lithiasis. Reflections apropos of 1000 cases].

One thousand case reports of patients treated in eleven French surgical departments for stones in the common bile duct between 1975 and 1982 were analyzed. One in three cases were asymptomatic and detected by peroperative radiology during treatment of a simple or complicated gallstone, most forms were painful, with jaundice in 9 p. cent, an angiocholitis in 12 p.

[Interposition of dacron meshes through a Pfannenstiel approach for bilateral hernia (author's transl)].

The use of a dacron mesh interposed between the deficient abdominal wall and the peritoneum has proved to be a reliable means of preventing a recurrence. For inserting the material in bilateral hernias, until 1979, the authors used a median supra-pubic incision, in more than 150 patients. Since then they turned to the Pfannenstiel approach in 68 patients.

[Acute evolution as a rare complication of a chronic calcified pancreatitis. Report of a Malagasy case (author's transl)].

Report of an acute inflammatory syndrome of the right side of the belly with fever, polyleucocytosis and diabetes in a 35 years old patient with chronic calcified pancreatitis. The right colon was moved forward by an important retroperitoneal infiltration and the pathology demonstrated a cytosteatonecrosis. The post-operative period was disturbed by hyperamylasemia, hyperamylasuria and an external pancreatic fistule.