[Unusually late presentation esophageal perforations and ruptures].

The aim of this study is to present the treatment modalities of unusual late esophageal perforations and ruptures. The reason for diagnostic delay was misinterpretation of pleural collection, overlooked sclerotherapy, foreign body extraction, and delayed recognition of the true origin of empyema after pneumonectomy. In all instances of transthoracic reinforced or temporary excluded primary repair were successful.

[Physiologic type reconstruction in upper gastrointestinal caustic strictures].

The authors discuss their experience in the surgical treatment of caustic stenosis in the upper gastrointestinal tract. They present operative solutions using isoperistaltic transverse colonic segment in oesophageal stenosis caused by gastric outlet obstruction, or when these two presented together. Further indications for the above were bronchial or tracheo-oesophageal fistulas and oesophageal perforation.

[Not Available].

Right-sided spontaneous oesophageal rupture developed two days after left pneumonectomy and vomiting. In this extremely rare emergency, we used a transhiatal approach for primary repair of the rupture, combined with right-sided pleural and mediastinal drainage, gastrostomy and feeding jejunostomy. The seven-day barium meal showed healing of the rupture.

[Solitary oesophageal metastasis of breast cancer after 17 years latency].

The authors discuss a case of a 63-year-old woman, who presented with dysphagia, 17 years after radical mastectomy for breast cancer. CT scan showed a juxta esophageal mediastinal tumour. A biopsy via right thoracotomy revealed a metastatic adenocarcinoma of the oesophageal wall from the previous breast carcinoma.

[Selective bowel decontamination].

Infective complications play major role in mortality of high risk patients demanding intensive care. Selective Bowel Decontamination prevents endogenous infections by reducing the number of potentially pathogen microbes (aerobic bacteria, fungi) in the oropharynx and gastrointestinal tract, saving anaerobic bacteria. It had been used 20 years ago for the first time.

[Emergency video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for intrathoracic foreign bodies].

The aim of this retrospective study is to highlight the advantages of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in the assessment of thoracic trauma. In the past 4 years 3 patients had intrapleural or intrapulmonary Kirschner needles which penetrated from the site of a previous humeroscapular osteosynthesis and one patient with a gunshot projectile and haemothorax in the left thorax. They were treated by VATS removal of intrathoracic foreign bodies.

Late complications of coloesophagoplasty and long-term features of adaptation.

Objectives: Revisional surgery of late complications after 141 substernal by-pass operations (1962-1990), except three cases with isoperistaltic (except seven with anisoperistaltic) transverse colon grafts for caustic esophageal strictures, are presented. Long-term adaptation of the grafts was investigated with cineradiographical and histochemical methods.

Methods: Correction of the "pseudodiverticulum" of the proximal anastomosis as a complication of the standard by-pass procedure (in five patients) was achieved by closure of the esophagus below the anastomosis or by end-to-end reanastomosis.