[Treatment of Wilms' tumor (author's transl)].

Uniform treatment based on the therapeutic approach of the 1st and 2nd US National Wilms' Tumor Study was decided on in March 1976 by paediatricians, surgeons, urologists and radiotherapists in Austria. Wilms' tumour was diagnosed in 34 children between 1 january 1976 an 29 february 1980 (stage I: n = 11, stage II: n = 8, stage III: n = 8, stage IV: n = 7). Parents of two children refused treatments; both children have since died of metastases.

[Illness due to enterolith in children (author's transl)].

The aim of this paper is to emphasize the extreme importance of the rectal examination and exact palpation of the abdomen in cases of obscure abdominal pain, especially as it is purely a question of a simple and inexpensive diagnostical procedure. The rectal examination should always be carried out prior to any large scale diagnostical procedures as it does, in the care of positive findings, spare the child the considerable burden of X-rays. If, after an appendectomy, the same pains that led to the operation continue, one must conclude that their cause has not been removed by the operation.

[How dangerous is splenectomy in Hodgkin's disease? (author's transl)].

Serious complications aetiologically connected with the operation were found in 8 out of 51 patients (19 females, 32 males) who had undergone splenectomy for Hodgkin's disease. Weighing potential complications against the expected beneficial effects, clear indications for splenectomy are only found in stages I and IIa. In all more progressed clinical stages splenectomy should only be performed when 1) platelet deficiency existed prior to treatment, 2) additional irradiation of the splenic area is to be avoided, 3) oophoropexy is to be performed at the same time.

[Polycythaemia as sole symptom of renal adenoma (author's transl)].

In two children, a 9 year-old boy and a 10 1/2 year-old girl, who presented with polycythaemia as the only symptom, the expected renal tumour was only found after exclusion of all other causes of polycythaemia. The delay in diagnosis was caused by technically inadequate intravenous urograms, which were erroneously passed as normal. In one child low kv X-ray exposition of the kidneys led to the diagnosis of a renal tumour.

[Cholelithiasis in children and adolescents (authors transl)].

Cholelithiasis is a rare, but important condition to be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal symptoms in childhood and adolescence. A survey over a 20-year period revealed 10 cases between the ages of 11 and 20 years, with a clinical history of cholelithiasis of between 5 days and 6 years. The most consistent finding was epigastric or right upper quadrant pain.

[Congenital hepatic fibrosis and polycystic disease of the kidneys in two siblings (author's transl)].

Report of 2 siblings, aged 12 1/2 and 9 years, with congenital hepatic fibrosis and polycystic disease of the kidneys. Hepatosplenomegaly had been noted in both children at birth. The younger child had suffered from oliguria aged 2 1/2 years.

[Surgical treatment of wilms' tumour and neuroblastoma with particular reference to staging (author's transl)].

Combined surgical, irradiation and cytostatic therapy has considerably improved the outlook in cases of Wilms' tumour over the past years. Unfortunately the therapeautic results in neuroblastoma have not shown improvement to the same extent. Staging of the tumour is an essential basis for thee establishment of optimum therapeutic management and prognosis.

[Clinical aspect and therapy of BCG-lymphadenitis (author's transl)].

BCG-Lymphadenitis is a local complication of BCG-vaccination. The rate of complication depends on the kind of vaccine used, the dose and the used technique. In the last 9,5 years 32 infants with BCG-Lymphadenitis complicated with suppuration or perforation have been treated surgically.

[Cystic changes in the lungs in childhood (author's transl)].

Two boys with presumably congenital cystic changes in the lungs are described. In one child multiple cystic deformations led to acute symptoms of severe respiratory distress necessitating urgent resection of the right middle and upper lobes. The other boy had a large thick-walled cyst in the left upper lobe causing no distress whatsoever.

A morphologically different type of smooth muscle cell in the inner media of the splenic artery.

A morphologically different cell type to the typically smooth muscle cell has been found in the inner medial layers of the splenic artery. Besides the morphological differences, typical criteria for a smooth muscle cell are demonstrated, giving an account of their identity. Morphological details are described.

[Angiography, scintigraphy and ultra sound in the diagnosis of splenic or hepatic disease in Hodgkin's disease (author's transl)].

The combined use of selective angiography, scintigraphy and ultra-sound is not reliable enough for the certain exclusion of visceral involvement in Hodgkin's disease. Since this is of importance in the planning of treatment, it confirms the recommendation made by Wagenknechts, Glatsteins and others that a diagnostic splenectomy be carried out in order to determine the presence of visceral involvement.

[Clinical picture and therapy of gastroschisis (author's transl)].

The results of operative treatment of gastroschisis have been improving in recent years. The survival rate is now between 50 and 60 p.c.

[Morphology of transplanted liver. an experimental study (author's transl)].

Experimental orthotopic livertransplantation is a very difficult procedure (Largiadér). This is due to the difficult specific anatomy of the liver, the high sensibility of the liver against anoxia and the distrubance of blood coagulation during transplantation. This investigation demonstrates that ischemia does not only damage the livercells, but also the bile ducts.