Aneurysm of the Left Portal Branch.

Unlabelled: We describe the incidental finding of an aneurysm of the left branch of the portal vein in a patient without liver pathology. The diagnosis was confirmed by Doppler ultrasound.

Learning Points: Portal vein aneurysms are rare but have been described in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

Emphysematous Pancreatitis: A Rare Complication.

Unlabelled: We describe a case of emphysematous pancreatitis, a rare and serious complication of acute pancreatitis, which has a high mortality rate.

Learning Points: The development of emphysematous pancreatitis implies the existence of infected necrosis.It is characterized by the replacement of the pancreatic bed by gas presence.

Integration of an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera for accurate spectroscopic measurements.

Intensified charge-coupled devices (ICCD) are used in a great variety of spectroscopic applications, some of them requiring high sensitivity and spectral resolution. The setup, configuration, and featuring of these cameras are fundamental issues in order to acquire high quality spectra. In this work a critical assessment of these detectors is performed and the specific configuration, the optical alignment, featuring, and the dark and shot noise are described and analyzed.