A classic revisited: Loewald on the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis.

Versions of the following papers were presented at the panel "Psychoanalytic Classics Revisited: Hans Loewald's "On the Therapeutic Action of Psychoanalysis' " (Gerald I. Fogel, chair) at the meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association, December 1993. As a tribute to Loewald's lifetime of achievement, and in belated recognition of his preeminent position in the field of psychoanalysis, the exchange appears here almost in its entirety, rather than as a conventional panel report.

Brain abscess and its surgical management.

A series of 56 patients with brain abscesses who were treated over a period of 23 years is reviewed. Patients with posttraumatic infections were not included. The operative mortality was 11%.

Aneurysmal bone cyst of spine.

Four patients (aged 5, 7, 18, and 42) suffering from spinal cord involvement due to an aneurysmal bone cyst are reported. In two cases only a preoperative radiological diagnosis was made, one of them by a CT scan. Combined surgical and radiological treatments were done in three cases with a follow-up of 16 years in one patient and 9 years in the other two.

Penetrating cranio-cerebral injuries due to unusual foreign bodies.

Seven cases of penetrating cranio-cerebral injury by peculiar foreign bodies are described. The clinical-pathological picture is reported wherever possible. Lack of adequate safety measures and untrained careless handling of instruments were at the root of these tragic accidents.