[Aggressive fibromatosis].

Fibromatosis can be classified in two groups: Superficial fibromatosis without capacity for infiltration and deep fibromatosis with variable capacity for infiltrative growth. One of the deep fibromatoses is aggressive fibromatosis which is a local infiltrating process never known to metastasize. Two cases of aggressive fibromatosis are presented and histological characteristics and prognosis are reviewed.

Treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax with intrapleural tetracycline instillation or thoracotomy. Follow-up of management program.

Spontaneous pneumothorax has a high incidence of recurrence if treated only with intercostal drainage. A series of 404 patients in a special treatment program is presented. Early thoracoscopy was performed in 97%.

[The significance of recurrent nerve paresis for the operability of lung cancer].

The object of the study was a reassessment of the old but still widely accepted apophthegm that recurrent nerve palsy prohibits surgery in patients with pulmonary cancer. Out of 1,279 patients admitted over a 10-year period with proven or suspected pulmonary cancer, 23 were found to have recurrent nerve paralysis. Eleven of these were found inoperable by the preoperative work-up while 12 underwent thoracotomy.

Changes in pneumonectomy-space gas tensions.

The development of a simple and reliable method for measurement of the partial pressures of the atmospheric gases offers the possibility of both basic and clinical examination of the air in natural as well as pathological or iatrogenic cavities. From measurements in nine patients a plot of the changes in pO2 and pCO2 in the pneumonectomy space from the end of the thoracotomy to the establishment of equilibrium with the blood gases was made. pCO2 equilibrated faster than pO2 (6- and 50 h respectively).