Langenbecks Archiv für Chirurgie in the second half of the twentieth century (personal reflections of an editor emeritus).

The history of this oldest among German surgical journals, in the second half of the twentieth century, is outlined from an editor's point of view. In this period, the journal mutated from a conservative refuge for lengthy theses to an innovative peer-review organ. Apart from original research and clinical reports, the journal now ran regular editorials, discussion panels and sections on Current Operative Techniques as well as Clinical Anatomy and finally developed into an English-language publication.

Benefit of venous resection for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head.

Objective: To find out whether there is any benefit from venous resection during pancreaticoduodenectomy for ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: University Hospital Mannheim/Heidelberg, Germany.

Long-term results of partial pancreaticoduodenectomy for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head: 25-year experience.

The prognosis of patients who undergo resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with curative intention is generally poor unless they have early-stage disease. Based on our 25-year experience, the results of 194 patients after a standardized Kausch-Whipple resection for adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head were analyzed and the prognostic factors were evaluated. Between 1972 and 1998 a total of 221 patients were diagnosed for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head, and 194 of them subsequently underwent a standardized Kausch-Whipple resection.

Resection for cancers of the pancreatic head in patients aged 70 years or over.

Objective: To find out if resections of cancers of the head of pancreatic are justified in patients over the age of 70 years.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: University hospital, Germany.