[Lymphocytic interstitial pneumopathy in AIDS-related complex. Presence of the LAV virus in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid].

A new case of lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis developed in the course of a persistent generalized lymphadenopathy syndrome is reported. The patient was a 30-year old Haitian woman with only her ethnic risk factor. Broncho-alveolar lavage showed high cellularity with mostly major lymphocytosis (76%) and a fall of the OK T4/OK T8 ratio to 0.

[Cardiac contusion with dissecting hematoma of the apex of the heart and interventricular communication].

The authors report the case of a post-traumatic ventricular septal defect diagnosed after the detection of a systolic murmur in a 39 year old man, 18 months after a car accident. Two-dimensional echocardiography and angioscintigraphy showed an abnormal cavity at the apex of the heart. At cardiac catheterisation there was a moderate left-to-right ventricular shunt through this cavity.

[Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in adults].

Pneumomediastinum is an uncommon, often overlooked, condition resulting from the rupture of perivascular alveoli and the migration of air along the pulmonary vessels. Diagnosis, which is usually difficult, rests on three major signs: cervical subcutaneous emphysema, Hamman's sign and roentgenological findings. Prognosis is good and the course is uneventful.