[Splenic echography in blunt abdominal trauma].

Eighty emergency US exams of the spleen for blunt abdominal trauma were performed in 1988-1989 to evaluate US accuracy and reliability. A real-time scanner with convex probes (3.5 and 5 MHz) was employed.

[The echographic diagnosis of acute appendicitis and its complications].

The authors report their experience with emergency US in patients hospitalized for clinical suspicion of acute appendicitis or presenting with pain in the right lower abdominal quadrant. One hundred fifty-two patients were examined with US: 93/152 had pathologies of the right iliac region; 81 of them underwent surgery (50/81 appendectomies). In 27 of these patients the inflamed appendix presented with a typical US pattern.

[Echography in the diagnosis of spontaneous hematoma of the anterior rectus abdominis muscle. Clinico-diagnostic considerations].

A case of spontaneous haematoma in the rectus abdominis muscle investigated by ultrasonography is reported. The main sonographic signs of this lesion are described and their importance for correct diagnosis and for the possibility of employing medical treatment is underlined.

[Echographic study of the popliteal region].

The paper reports an echographic study of the popliteal region designed to assess the utility of ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of the various popliteal pathologies. In a year, 459 soft tissue samples were examined; 250 concerned the knee 138 patients gave negative results, while 112 cases presented this pathology with the following diagnosis: 94 cysts (21 appeared duplicated and monolateral, 28 duplicated and counterlateral), 2 aneurysms, 3 hematomas, 10 solid tumefactions (9 were benign, 1 malignant), 1 venous thrombosis and 2 chondromatosis. Of these 112 cases, 25 had been operated on, and the surgical reports quoted 15 cysts, 9 benign and 1 malignant neoplasm.

[Duodenoscopic cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in the diagnosis of iatrogenic lesions of the common bile duct].

The authors report their personal experience in the diagnosis of post-operative bile duct strictures by means of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The methodology, thanks to its peculiar characteristics, appears as a fundamental test in the instrumental diagnosis of post-operative lesions of the bile duct.

[Galactographic features of the secreting breast].

The authors report their experience in the galactographic study of 95 women with nipple discharge; 65 of them previously underwent both surgical and histological control. The galactographic features are classified according to predominant alterations: ductal ectasia, ductal stenosis, ductal amputation, solitary/multiple filling defects, ductal dystrophy, and irregular distribution of ductal branches. Histopathological findings (65 patients) appear to be related to nipple discharge types: thus, hematic secretion results pathognomonic for intracanalicular neoplasm (24/25), while serous and serous-hematic discharge (32/65) may be caused by any mammary pathologies.